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WINS FOR LIFE ALL STARS AAU BASKETBALL PROGRAM
WINS For Life is affiliated with the Basketball Hall of Fame
2021 Spring Season will include the following teams:
Boys teams: grades 6-10
Try-out Information listed below
The fee is $20 per try-out clinic. Practices begin April 2 & 3.
Practices sites are based on the geographic make-up of the roster.
Try-out site does not indicate where that team will practice.
AAU Try-outs: March 2021
each age group will have 2 try-outs
All try-outs are at the Aircraft Club (200 Clement Road, East Hartford
Boys 6th grade: Sat., March 27 (10:15am-11:35pm), Sun., March 28 (4:45pm-6:00pm)
Boys 7th grade: Sat., March 27 (11:50am-1:10pm), Sun., March 28 (4:45pm-6:00pm)
Boys 8th grade: Sat., March 27 (1:25-2:45pm), Sun., March 28 (2:05pm-3:20pm)
Boys 9th grade: Sat., March 27 (3:00-4:20pm), Sun., March 28 (2:05pm-3:20pm)
Boys 10th grade: Sat., March 27 (4:35pm-6:00pm), Sun., March 28 (11:10am-12:30pm)
The try-out form must be turned in prior to try-outs. Please mail, fax, or email:
Mail: WINS For Life, P.O. Box 8396, Manchester,CT.
Email:
Fax: (860) 643-5172 Phone: (860) 645-1934
Additional information listed below & many questions are answered on the FAQ page
Eligibility:
6th Grade: An athlete must be in the 6th grade or below as of October 1, 2020 and can be no older than 13 on or before 8/31/21.
7th Grade: An athlete must be in the 7th grade or below as of October 1, 2020 and can be no older than 14 on or before 8/3121.
8th Grade: An athlete must be in the 8th grade or below as of October 1, 2020 and can be no older than 15 on or before 8/31/21.
9th Grade: An athlete can be no older than 15 on or before August 31, 2021. An athlete who is in the 9th Grade as of October 1,
2020 and who is no older than 16 on or before August 31, 2021 is eligible to compete in the 15U/9th Grade division.
10th Grade: An athlete can be no older than 16 on or before August 31, 2021. An athlete who is in the 10th Grade as of 10/1/20
and who is no older than 17 on or before August 31, 2021 is eligible to compete in the 16U/10th Grade division.
Try-out Philosophy:
* WINS For Life provides the very best coaching. Most WINS coaches are certified High School Coaches.
* Our try-outs are clinics. We focus on teaching, skill development, and individual attention.
* Evaluating is only part of the process. We are always coaching, teaching, and helping students.
* We create a positive, energetic, empowering, and fun learning environment.
* Students will learn a lot. Their skills and basketball IQ will improve.
Why select WINS For Life for AAU Basketball?
It's all about the results: WINS For Life students become winners & achieve personal success.
We are fully committed to each WINS For Life student-athlete. We elevate their confidence and teach many values
and life lessons. We create a platform to gain confidence and experience success (athletically and academically).
Report cards are collected and monitored. WINS For Life students develop good habits and sound fundamentals.
We teach how to be leaders and Winners for Life. Students in our program improve significantly as basketball players.
More important, WINS For Life students grow and mature as successful young adults.
Some of the many benefits:
* Experienced coaches who provide outstanding instruction, leadership, and professionalism.
* Students will experience invaluable lessons, social development, life skills, friendships, and learn how to be leaders.
* Students will mature and improve in their roles as a student, athlete, teammate, leader, family member and citizen.
* Students are supported and encouraged to balance school and responsibilities. Report cards are reviewed.
* Students can expect measurable basketball skill development and an improved basketball IQ.
* Practices are advanced, structured, organized, competitive and a lot of fun!
* The schedule is very manageable and our season concludes in early June.
* We host and attend quality tournaments while competing against outstanding competition.
* Several quality practice locations.
* A family-oriented program.
WINS For Life provides more:
There are many choices for AAU teams, yet when it comes to selecting an AAU program, WINS For Life provides the most. We provide quality, professional youth basketball events during all 12 months of the year. WINS For Life hosts events throughout New England, including at the Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to our AAU program, we provide an impressive array of basketball events and services:
* Summer Basketball Schools (camps) * Summer Basketball League * Fall Basketball League
* Three on Three tournaments * Skills & Drills Clinics * Shooting Clinics
* After School Programs * Individual & Small Group Instruction * Basketball Hall of Fame clinic
* AAU & Youth Basketball Tourney’s * Coaching Clinics * Velocity Strength training
WINS For Life Mission Statement
The WINS For Life mission statement is “to assist as many people as possible, in as many ways as possible”.We achieve this via a variety of educational services and motivational events. WINS For Life provides workshops for teachers and child care, staff-raising events. Our motto is “Get Better Every Day”.
WINS For Life Building Blocks
The four WINS For Life Building Blocks are Values, Balance, Adversity, and Mental Strength.
Basketball practices and competition serve as excellent platforms to teach the many life lessons that our coaches
focus on. Communication is one of our many values. It is among the plethora of teaching themes that we consistently
convey and reinforce. Everything we teach is related to at least one of our four primary building blocks.
WINS For Life All Stars: program success
The WINS For Life All Stars AAU Basketball Program began in March 2009. Success came quickly. In only their third
tournament, the W4L All Stars went undefeated at the 2009 State Rebound Tournament and won their first
championship. With two teams generating enthusiasm and awareness in 2009, the program expanded to four teams
(and two more championships) in 2010. The 2011 program hosted five teams. The WINS For Life All Stars 11u team
won the CT. State Championship and earned a bid to National AAU D2 Tournament. Winning again proved to be
a theme in 2012 with nine championship berths and four titles. Success breeds success.
The program reached new heights in 2014 with seven teams, including five boys teams, and two new girls teams.
The W4L All Stars teams combined to win (11) Championship titles! In the past three years (2015-17) the WINS AAU programs has grown to host nine teams and helping over 100 students in each of those seasons. The success of our program is linked to the many supportive families, hard-working student- athletes, and an outstanding core of experienced coaches who are committed to helping others. We value the many new friendships and alliances we gain with each season.
2019 Achievements:
* Three WINS Seniors were selected to CIAC All Star game.
* Seven players who wore WINS uniforms were selected CIAC All State!
2018 Achievements:
* Two WINS players were selected CIAC All State!
* 15 former players are on college basketball rosters including Notre Dame and UConn.
* WINS teams won 8 championships within the first six tourney’s of the season.
* 7 of the 8 WINS teams qualified for ZG Nationals!
2017 Achievements:
* Five WINS For Life players were selected All-State and ten players made All-conference!
* The 16u Girls team finished in the "Final Four" at the Zero Gravity National Tournament.
* The 16u Team won two tournament championships.
* The Boys 14u-East & 14u-West teams qualified andadvanced to the Zero Gravity National Tournament.
* The Boys 14u-East and Boys 11u team each concluded their seasons by winning Championships in Springfield, Ma.
2016 Achievements:
* For the second consecutive year the program featured 9 teams and over 100 students (without recruiting!, students find us, we don't go find them).
* The 17u Boys team won two tourney championships.
* The 17u Boys teams finished in the Final Four at the Zero Gravity National Tourney, going 5-0 before losing to the National Champions in the semi-final game.
* In the 2016-17 high school season: four members of the 17u team made the CT. High School All-State team and eight members were voted All-Conference and one was voted Honarable Mention.
2015 Achievements:
The program grew to 9 teams and over 100 students.
* Ten total players on the 8th grade boys & 8th grade girls teams in 2015 made their HS Varsity teams as freshmen in 2016!
* The 16u team qualified for three National Tourney's. They attended two Nationals and finished in the Elite Eight in Virginia.
* The 16u team finished in the Elite Eight at the Hall of Fame National Invitational (Springfield, MA.).
* The 16U team won the Silver Medal in the CT. State Tournament. They lost by 4 to the 2nd place team at the D2 Natonals.
* WINS For Life teams advanced to 16 Championship Games in 2015!
2014 Achievements:
* The seven WINS Teams combined to advance to 24 Championship games and won 11 Championship titles!
* The 9th grade boy's team advanced to the D3 Nationals. We lost to the National Champions (Delaware) by 3 points.
The 9th grade/15u team won three championship titles and were ranked #10 (on 6/3/14) by the Zero Gravity Report.
* The five boys teams (5th grade - 9th grade) had a combined record of 92-37 (and won 71% of their games)!
* The news girls program (featuring two teams) advanced to 5 championship games and won three titles.
2013 Achievements:
* Four boys teams (11u, 13u, 14u, 15u) combined to advance to 16 Championship games.
* WINS For Life boys teams won eight Championship titles.
* The program peaked with six teams and over 80 players. Over 150 students attended our try-outs!
* The 14u (8th grade) team won four championships and had a record of 27-7.
2012 Achievements:
* In tournament competition our four boy's teams advanced to nine championship games.
* We won four championships: Amherst, Springfield, Holyoke, Canton.
* Twenty WINS For Life freshmen and sophomores played on their high school varsity basketball teams.
2011 Achievements:
* The 11u team won the 2011 State Championship and competed in the National Tournament in Virginia.
* We expanded from our original two teams in 2009 (23 students) to five teams (65 students).
* For those who competed in our 2011 AAU program (last spring), the experience prepared them for the successful
winter season. Six members of our 14U team (2011) played Varsity Basketball as freshmen!
WINS For Life Leadership:
WINS For Life owner David Vasquenza has over twenty years of experience in human services as a counselor and staff trainer. He has a range of coaching experience. From 1996-2000, Coach Vasquenza assisted Worcester State College Men’s Basketball to record-setting achievements. The Lancers won the only regular season MASCAC Championship in school history (1999-2000), two ECAC berths (1998, 2000), and earned the best four-year record in the history of the WSC program. Prior to coaching college basketball, Coach V’s AAU teams won three consecutive CT. State AAU Championships. In the 1996 National AAU 15U Boy's tourney, his team finished 13th out of the 72-team tournament. They lost by seven to National Champion North Carolina. Eleven of the twelve players on that roster advanced to play collegiate athletics! Coach V. has also coached high school and middle school basketball. He is the Basketball Director at Valley Sports Center (Canton). He host clinics at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Ma.
Coaching Positions:
We invite those who are interested in coaching positions to contact us. We are proud of our experienced coaching staff
and look to enhance the quality of our leadership by adding more qualified individuals. For those interested in coaching, please send a resume and contact David Vasquenza at (860) 645-1934, or by email:
