Philosophy of Our Club
Competition should not be a dirty word! Ever since there have been living things on the planet, there has been competition. What sports do is to take the competition that goes on all the time in nature, contain it, and take the life-and-death aspects out of it. The reason why playing sports is so enjoyable is because it’s so natural. It takes us back to our beginnings.
In recent times, a great societal effort has been undertaken to soften or outright eliminate competition from sports. This is a misguided effort. With proper guidance from responsible, mature coaches and parents, our young athletes can enjoy and revel in healthy competition.
The Wilmington Tigers, like most AAU clubs, has as its core mission the goal of preparing players for "the next level." That is to say, if we have a team of 5th and 6th graders, we'll focus on getting them ready for 7th and 8th grade basketball. Likewise, we'll be preparing our 7th and 8th graders for high school ball, and so on. Throughout the process, we won't lose sight of the importance of fun -- the pure enjoyment of playing basketball. The Wilmington Tigers organization hopes to promote "competitive fun" -- a hybrid that takes the best of old and new school thinking.
The Tiger Difference
When we have teams strong enough to play regular AAU tournaments in A Bracket, we will enter Division I (A Bracket) Regionals. In fact, our 13 "Orange" team did this in 2006, making us the only Delaware team to compete in A Bracket Regionals. In the past two years we've had 7 teams qualify for the AAU National Tournament. We won't "sandbag" it by playing down like other area clubs. If we have a gold-caliber team -- in any age group -- why compete for silver?
Putting the First State First
Starting quite a few years ago and extending up to the present, the very top elite talent in Delaware has seen fit to join clubs out-of-state. Some players have even been encouraged by Delaware clubs to "go north" under the premise that only the Philly powerhouse clubs can develop their skills. The Tigers provide coaches and an organizational support that can deliver the goods. From beginner to high school all-state team selection, the Tigers are a great fit. Our only requirements in a player are a serious attitude about basketball and a commitment to the club that matches our commitment to the player. Bottom line? Delaware girls, there's no need for you to go to Philly to play AAU. There's nothing they can do for you that we can't.