AAU stands for Amateur Athletic Union. AAU is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. AAU is a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. Although there are many basketball programs in the region, not all of them are affiliated with AAU.

AAU basketball gives your child the opportunity to play up to 40 more games and practice more than 60 more times a year. By playing with players of the same ability, it allows players to develop in practice and compete in games against teams with similar talent.

Yes. Our club code is W37B74

The Rhode Island Magic was started in the Fall of 2015 with 5 teams. Since then, the Magic has continuously grown every season in size and is one of the largest and most successful AAU programs in the region. The growth of the program can be attributed to talented and caring coaches who are passionate about the game, teaching players not only basketball skills, but life lessons as well. The parent testimonial section is a great resource for parents researching AAU programs, and we are proud of the quality and quantity of our testimonials.

The RI Magic has teams at all levels from 2nd to 12th grade for boys and 4th to 12th grade for girls.

We offer convenient registration. We highly recommend you register your player online, prior to the tryouts, as it will expedite the tryout check-in process. You can also register in person the day of the tryouts. In that case, please arrive 20 minutes prior to the start of your tryout to register. A one-time non-refundable tryout fee of $25 is required, regardless of whether you pay online or in person and that covers both tryout dates.

It is strongly recommended that you attend both tryouts, but if you can't, you must attend at least one. It is extremely beneficial if your child can make both tryouts, as this gives the coaches more time to evaluate the player, which allows us to see if they are a fit for the program and also helps ensure that they are placed on the appropriate team based on their skill.

All of our coaches attend both tryouts to make sure that the selections for teams are as accurate as possible. This allows us to have multiple coaches on each court to help run the drills and evaluate the players. We start with drills that measure individual talent before moving onto scrimmage situations for game play.

At the tryout, our staff will evaluate and place players where we feel they will develop and contribute best to their team. Players and parents will find out if they were selected for a team within a day after tryouts have concluded. The directors will review the entire tryout process as well as share information regarding the season at multiple parent meetings held during and immediately after the final tryout via Zoom.

Each team will consist of 9-11 players. In rare cases, a team will have 12 players. Historically, only 1% of our teams have started with 12 players and all ended with 11 or less. In most cases, our elite teams from 7th-12th grade will have 10 players.

No. Every season, new players come to the Magic and some players develop differently from one season to the next. Every player starts each season with the same opportunity to make a team.

Playing time is not a right and is not equal for all players. Playing time is based at the discretion of the coach, but all players should expect to play at least 25% of both halves of the game. The coach makes the decision about playing time based on a range of factors: player performance, level of execution, player work/focus during practice, game situations and match ups, and game strategy.

Any questions related to a players playing time should:

- Never be discussed or raised by a player or parent before, during or immediately after a game.

- The Rhode Island Magic utilizes a 24 hour cooling off period, which allows time to organize your thoughts and have a meaningful discussion with your child's coach.

- Be discussed directly and in person - with their coach.

- Focus solely on your child. No reference should be made to another player.

Practice times for all ages are 90 minutes between approximately 5:30-9:00pm, depending on their age. The majority of our practices are held at West Warwick Civic Center. We also use the Johnston Indoor Complex and Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School.

ALL TEAMS will have THREE opportunities to practice weekly. Teams will have at least one team practice weekly for 90 minutes.

Elementary teams (3rd-5th grades)

· One team practice per week (90 minutes)

· One skills practice per week (60 minutes)

· RI Magic is excited to be a part of Higher Learning's fast-paced Basketball Leagues. Players will sharpen their decision-making and transition skills in a unique, high-rep format, which maximizes player development.

Middle School teams (6th-8th grades)

· One team practice per week (90 minutes)

· Movement session with Dr. Tim Swenson once a week Dr. Tim Swenson is a physical therapist that works with players on injury recovery, prevention and also improving strength and conditioning.

· RI Magic is excited to be a part of Higher Learning's fast-paced Basketball Leagues. Players will sharpen their decision-making and transition skills in a unique, high-rep format, which maximizes player development.

High school teams (9th-12th grades)

· Two team practices per week

· Movement session with Dr. Tim Swenson once a week

Please inform the coach directly if your child will miss a practice/game. By doing so you will give the coach ample time to prepare a new practice/coaching strategy.

Teams will play in six tournaments during the Spring season and four tournaments in the Fall season. Most tournaments are held in RI, MA and occasionally CT and games are almost always played on Saturday and Sunday. Most tournament sites are within one hour or less of Providence. In the spring, our top teams from 8th grade through 11th/12th grade will play an extended season through July and for those teams, there will be more extensive travel. All of the tournaments that we enter are a minimum of three games and all offer the opportunity to advance to play more games.

Yes. Beginning in 8th grade, our top level teams from 8th-11th will travel and play at National tournaments, as well as other tournaments during the live period in the Mid-Atlantic and South areas. Our 8th grade teams have played at the AAU Nationals held at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney since 2016, often sending multiple teams each season. For 9th, 10th and 11th grades, our teams will play through July and compete at the best tournaments during live periods. Teams have traveled to Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida during live periods.

For the spring, the fee is $785 and for the fall, the fee is $585 if you need a uniform package, the cost is $95, which includes a reversible game jersey, game shorts, and practice reversible.

The fee covers, but is not limited to, the following: tournament entry fees, gym rentals for practices, practice/tournament insurances, coaching fees, AAU fees, website maintenance, and other miscellaneous fees. For players that participate in our Fall and Spring Higher Learning leagues, the cost of participation for those leagues is included in the AAU Season fee as well. Finally, included in the price is access to the recruitment portion of the website. This is a comprehensive, separate website that includes college/recruiting information that recruiting services charge thousands for, but is being provided free to RI Magic members.

Once a player is selected for a team, full payment needs to be made at that time. Payments can be made via cash, credit card, Venmo or CashApp.

• Credit card payments can be processed through our website.

• Venmo payment can be completed at @RhodeIslandMagic

• CashApp payment can be completed at $RIMagicHoops

• Cash can be paid for balances at the first practice. Cash payment for the deposit can be coordinated with the directors.