If there is one thing that Zeb Aulenbach has learned over the course of his decade or so on the basketball court, it’s this: you had better take your shot when you have the opportunity.
A 6’6” wing and forward with the Lockerby Vikings who also has starred in recent years with the Greater Sudbury Basketball Association (GSBA) Storm club teams, Aulenbach has grown accustomed to creating a little room in the seam of an opposing defense and elevating to pop - if he is not driving to the rim.
With dreams still set on competing beyond high-school, the soft-spoken 18 year old has earned himself a look on a large and noteworthy stage this summer, a setting where he hopes to hit “nothing but net”, borrowing from a vernacular that is near and dear to the hearts of those who live for hoops.
Aulenbach has been selected as part of an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team that was assembled by Buzzi2x, an international basketball recruiting and training program based largely out of Kentucky.
Joining the team in Cincinnati early next month, the young man who has certainly not ruled out playing in Canada will take part in training programs at a pair of NCAA schools before heading off to South Carolina to compete in Big Shots Myrtle Beach live from July 9th to the 12th.
For a local product who came upon his height a bit later in his youth and whose journey did not commence with basketball, this is the chance he has been dreaming of for at least a few years now.
“I was always athletic, playing baseball, soccer and stuff as a kid,” said Aulenbach. “But I really enjoyed basketball when I started it. Honestly, it was probably the kids that I got into basketball with that made it fun, the guys I started with.”
“Playing basketball just felt different.”
Still, enjoyment alone does not open doors.
A steady and continual progression is critical, with Aulenbach among the many who took the time to do a genuine self-assessment along the way to take note of the deficiencies in his game.
“My basketball IQ on the court needed a lot of work,” he said. “I don’t think I had much basketball IQ as a kid. I would put up stupid shots, lame shots, never listen to my coaches - a typical 14 year old.”
“Eventually, some coaches told me to watch more games and I got into watching college ball. That’s when you really learn the game at the next level.”
Tipped off on the AAU offerings by GSBA teammate Lunden Campbell-Runia who attended a similar camp last summer, Aulenbach submitted a reel of video highlights and was approached about joining the team that will feature young athletes from around the world.
That will not leave much time to build some helpful chemistry before the games start coming fast and furious along the Atlantic coastline. “I think the coaches know what they are doing when they pick guys to join the team,” said Aulenbach. “I think they look to pick guys who can click with other players, right away.”
Truth be told, there is a versatility to his game that should play well to the adaptability that will be necessary in this particular environment. “I think I’m an all-around player,” stated Aulenbach. “When the coaches look at me, I think they will see my basketball IQ, they will see that I can play defense, they will see that I can rebound, that I can play offense.”
For the next few weeks, Aulenbach will continue his workouts in the gym, looking to add some helpful muscle mass to his frame, as well as trying to regain the feel for his shot, just returning now from a hand injury that kept him out of the club provincial championships.
If nothing else, the northern lad is comfortable he will return home a better player than the one which left just a couple of weeks earlier. “I am really looking forward to meeting new kids, guys from around the world,” he said. “I want to see how other kids play, kids from other countries.”
At very least, Zeb Aulenbach wants to give it his best shot.
