Podcast 349 – The AAU Path From the Driveway to Dunwoody United Basketball – Zak Elfenbein

The AAU Path From the Driveway to Dunwoody United Basketball

Zak Elfenbein, director of Dunwoody United Basketball, came back on the podcast to talk about the spring AAU program he runs out of the Marcus JCC in Dunwoody, Georgia. Last season, 45 players from about 22 different schools played on four Dunwoody United Basketball teams, and tryouts for the next season start January 23.

In This Episode

• Zak Elfenbein, who spent four seasons on Billy Donovan’s University of Florida basketball staff, directs Dunwoody United Basketball (DUB) at the Marcus JCC.
• DUB fields four spring AAU basketball teams for 8th through 11th graders and stays within 40-50 miles of Dunwoody, with no overnight trips.
• Zak breaks down what AAU basketball costs: the gear package, gym rental, coach stipends and tournament fees that have doubled in the last couple of years.
• His warning for parents: a $2,500 to $3,500 program promising exposure won’t get your son seen any more than a $1,000 to $1,500 one.
• Spring 2027 Dunwoody United Basketball tryouts start January 23 at the JCC, with registration at dubhoops.com.

Why Is a Soccer Dad Talking About AAU Basketball?

I’ll be honest. This episode was a little selfish.

A year ago, my son Sam was a scared little DUMC basketball player with no confidence. Somewhere during last season, he decided he wanted to be a basketball player. He’s been putting in the work in the driveway ever since, and he trains at Elite Hoops Basketball (EHB) in Chamblee every Thursday night. If you missed it, Lee Miller from EHB was on Episode 337.

I’m a soccer dad. I coached soccer for years. I can coach a soccer team. This basketball thing is a whole different animal.

This winter, I’m coaching Sam’s team in the church league at Kingswood United Methodist. I worked really hard to get all of his buddies on the team, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Then there’s AAU. I’ve thrown myself into it for a few weeks last Spring and was not ready. It was $50 per parent just to get into the Shiloh High School gym for a weekend tournament. My wife just went home. The cost, the long weekends in loud gyms and the hype were just a totally different vibe from the soccer world we know.

Sam loves it, though, so we’re pushing through. That’s why I wanted to sit down with Zak. Sam is 11, and in a few years I want to know exactly where he’s headed.

Who Is Zak Elfenbein?

Zak was on the podcast way back in the early days, on Episode 89 in 2019, when he was running athletics at the JCC. A lot has changed since then. He’s a real estate agent now, like me, with Engel & Völkers Atlanta.

Before Atlanta, Zak spent four seasons with Coach Billy Donovan’s basketball program at the University of Florida while he finished his undergrad and graduate degrees. That run included a trip to the Final Four in 2014. I told him it was probably because of him. He called it a lesson in being part of something bigger than yourself. “If that ball does not go into the hoop, your day got a lot worse.”

About 12 years ago, he moved to Atlanta to work at the JCC as a sports director. He met his wife there. He’s been part of DUB since 2016 and has run it as director, with a co-director, for about the last five years. He coaches at least one team himself, usually the 15, 16 and 17-year-olds.

“I get a little more impatient,” Zak said. “I can maybe be a little more direct.”

How Did Dunwoody United Basketball Start?

According to DUB’s website, it started in 2011. A group of Dunwoody parents whose sons loved basketball went looking for something competitive beyond the local rec leagues and couldn’t find anything.

So they made a 6th grade team called the Dunwoody Dash. Nine boys played a short spring schedule. They didn’t win a single game, and they lost by an average of 25 points. The boys loved it anyway.

The next season the team became Dunwoody Elite. As players started coming from all over the Atlanta area, it was renamed Dunwoody United Basketball, or DUB. Today the program calls the JCC home, and every team is led by a non-parent coach.

I love that origin story. It’s a very Dunwoody thing to do. A few dads saw a gap, started a team, took their lumps, and kept showing up until it turned into something. And the name DUB is amazing as well.

What Makes Dunwoody United Basketball Different?

DUB is a competitive AAU program built around family life, not the other way around.

“We stay within 40 miles of Dunwoody,” Zak said. “We’re not an overnight program.” That means no weekends in South Carolina or Florida. DUB still plays in higher-level tournaments, and they take pride in competing there.

They also plan around school. “We do have a lot of high academic students,” Zak said, “so we take our breaks for ACTs and AP courses.” Zak has coached three players who got a perfect score on the ACT. That’s the kind of thing DUB celebrates. That’s what every parent wants to hear. A program that takes basketball seriously and still lets your son be a student is a big deal.

Practices run at the J on weeknights, from about 6:30 to 9:30 depending on the age group.

Who Plays for DUB?

DUB has four teams this year: 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grade. Last year about 45 players came from about 22 different schools.

The roster reads like a map of north Atlanta. Players have come from Marist School, The Weber School, Atlanta Jewish Academy, Cornerstone Christian Academy in Peachtree Corners, The Westminster Schools and Blessed Trinity. One player drove down from Forsyth Central for 7:30 p.m. practices.

“It’s a great opportunity for some of our young people to meet other teammates,” Zak said. He added that parents have also found some pretty valuable carpools.

The coaches are all licensed and certified through USA Basketball. DUB hires many of them from local schools, including Riverwood, Dunwoody, The Davis Academy and The Epstein School. The idea is continuity, so your son’s spring coach is teaching the same things his school coach will.

Some of the 8-year-olds Zak first coached are varsity seniors now, at North Springs, Dunwoody High School and Marist. He’s planning to go watch them play this winter.

What Is the Shoe Circuit in AAU Basketball?

The shoe circuit is the network of AAU programs sponsored by the big shoe brands, and DUB has chosen to stay independent of it.

Zak explained it for me, since I’m still learning. Private equity companies now look for AAU directors to add to their portfolios, and that puts new pressure on programs. Some directors sign on with Puma. With Nike and Under Armour, he said, you don’t really sign on. You get recruited.

“What you are signing on for is a commitment by your program to go wherever those shoe giants tell you to go,” Zak said. That might be Memphis, Norfolk, Virginia, or Orlando.

DUB chooses its own tournaments. Zak knows that costs him some of the best players, and he’s fine with that. “We’re not for everyone,” he said.

Last year, DUB still upset a few shoe circuit teams. They had players who were all-region at Dunwoody High School too.

Zak’s bigger frustration is how early travel ball gives up on players. “Kids get left behind almost at 13 years old and never get the chance to grow into their bodies,” he said. Some of them have big floppy feet and are still figuring out coordination.

DUB isn’t a rec program. Most of its players are on their school teams, even if they aren’t getting the most minutes. But Zak wants room for the late bloomers too.

Why Do DUB Families Stick Around?

Families stay with Dunwoody United Basketball even after their sons have aged out, and players who leave sometimes come back. It’s almost a family atmosphere. That’s rare now. Allegiance is often forgotten at certain levels.

I read something recently about how few college players finish their careers where they started. In the 2025-26 season, CBS Sports reported that only 22 scholarship players at high-major men’s programs were finishing at the school where they started. There’s just so much movement.

Zak turned it around and asked me if I’m still in touch with any of my old coaches. I am, a little. They were important people.

“You better be great at maintaining relationships,” Zak said. Players who bounce around can reach the end of the road and find the people in their corner feel alienated.

Then he gave the line I keep coming back to. “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence, but it’s probably greener where you water it.”

I see it in my own business. I work with a lot of young people. Sometimes one leaves for another job, then comes back a month later and says they made a mistake. There’s nothing that feels better than saying, all right, come on back. That employee is now much more valuable.

“Good families, good kids. That’s the priority,” Zak said. “We can develop talent.”

That’s the biggest compliment DUB can get, in my opinion.

What Does AAU Basketball Really Cost?

A big chunk of an AAU fee pays for gear, the gym, coaches and tournament entry, and Zak walked through each one.

He was clear that he can’t speak for other programs. Here’s what goes into DUB’s price.

• The gear. Players love their gear, and the gear package is about a third of DUB’s fee. Zak was wearing some of his on the podcast.
• The gym. DUB rents its courts from the JCC. “Even though they give us a good rate, it’s not free,” Zak said.
• The coaches. DUB’s certified coaches get a stipend. That’s someone’s time and gas money, and Zak wants them focused on your player, not rushing off to drive Uber.
• The tournaments. Zak has watched tournament fees double in the last couple of years.

Tournaments are passing more of those costs to parents, with entry fees for families and charges for parking. “If you are going to a tournament that is charging for parking,” Zak said, “your program may not be helping fund that tournament.”

He also pointed to private equity in youth sports. “You can see it when you see how the concessions have changed,” he said.

So my short period in AAU and paying $50 at Shiloh High School wasn’t a fluke. It’s kinda where youth basketball is right now.

Does Paying More for AAU Get Your Kid Exposure?

No. According to Zak, what you pay has nothing to do with who sees your son play.

“The financial commitment has nothing to do with the exposure your player receives,” he said.

Picture two programs. One costs $1,000 or $1,500. Another costs $2,500 or $3,500 and promises it can get your player in front of the right people. Zak isn’t sure that promise is true.

His advice is to ask one question. If my kid is good enough to play, who are you calling, and at what college? If the coach can’t give you a great answer, ask yourself whether this is still the right coach for your son.

He also doesn’t think traveling out of state will earn your player an extra scholarship. “The state of Georgia has great sports,” he said.

I figured there would be scouts at all the tournaments. Zak’s answer: “The internet’s a big place too, Matt.”

Are Basketball Hype Videos Worth It?

Zak uses video for development, like footwork, defensive rotations and communication. Hype videos are a different story.

His favorite joke is about other teams posting highlights. He’ll coach a game, then see the other team post video of it without the final score. “Did we win? Was I there?” he said.

He reminds his players that a lot can look different online. When a kid sees a highlight and thinks someone has reached incredible greatness, Zak’s answer is simple. “It’s a heck of a camera angle.”

I told him I can’t imagine putting together a hype video when I was an awkward 10th grade soccer player. But that seems to be the world now if you want to get seen.

Zak’s point is that real talent doesn’t need it. He said there are multiple four and five-star basketball players within about five miles of where I live. Walk into one of their gyms, he said, and you’ll know it before they even pick up the ball.

He was at a Pace Academy game recently where one player scored 40 points with offers from every school in the country. No hype video needed.

“Don’t compare yourself to a kid you see on the internet,” Zak tells his players. Compare yourself to how many shots you made in your driveway last week versus the week before.

As a dad whose son is always out in the driveway shooting, I loved hearing that.

Will Zak Coach Forever?

Coaching is a lifelong thing for Zak, even if it isn’t always from the sideline.

Players who started in DUB have finished medical school or started their own law practices. They still call him for advice, so he gets to be their coach there too. “I love coaching coaches,” he said, “but I love taking anything from where it is to try and help it build and achieve a goal.”

I feel the same way about coaching. The kids look at you differently. Watching them grow up and still call you Coach is about as good as it gets.

Zak also gave me some advice for my church league season. “Just do the positive cheering part of it,” he said, “and enjoy the car ride home.”

He said the fundamentals are the same as soccer. Spacing, sharing the ball and being a good teammate. Do those right, and your team will have more success than others. I can do that.

Where Does the Dunwoody Metro League Fit In?

Before most Dunwoody kids ever think about AAU, they play in the Dunwoody Metro League, the church and rec league around town.

That’s where Sam is right now. Practice for my team at Kingswood just started, and games start in early December. Teams play out of churches like Kingswood United Methodist, Dunwoody United Methodist and Dunwoody Baptist Church.

If you’re moving to Dunwoody with a young basketball player, this is the place to start.

Zak had one more tip for the in-between years. If your son’s school offers free workouts, go. Don’t pay for training somewhere else when the school program is free. Places like EHB are great partners for extra skill work, and so is your own backyard.

“That skill will never go out of style,” Zak said when I told him how much Sam has improved by shooting at home.

When Are Dunwoody United Basketball Tryouts?

Dunwoody United Basketball tryouts for spring 2027 start January 23 at the JCC.

Here’s the schedule from DUB’s website:

• 8th grade: January 23, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and January 30, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• 9th grade: January 23, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., and January 30, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• 10th grade: February 6, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
• 11th grade: Register, then email dunwoodyunitedbasketball@gmail.com

Spring is DUB’s flagship season. Teams practice through February and start playing in March. Most games are at Suwanee Sports Academy and LakePoint, with some in Norcross. “LakePoint is as far as I would tell you we go,” Zak said.

The season ends by May 15, no matter what. That leaves room for summer camps, jobs and graduation parties. DUB also offers scholarships.

Zak doesn’t love tryouts as the only way to get to know a player. “I don’t think tryouts are the best thing for young people,” he said.

Instead, reach out now. Which I loved hearing since I did already. We’ll definitely be watching a few games over the years. DUB’s leadership team is a group of dads whose sons have graduated out of the program, and they love going to games. If your son is starting his first JV game at Riverwood or his first game at Dunwoody, let them know. They’d love to come watch.

Connect With Dunwoody United Basketball

If you’ve got a young man in 8th through 11th grade who loves the game, check out dubhoops.com to register and learn more. You can also email dunwoodyunitedbasketball@gmail.com or follow @dunwoodyunitedbasketball on Instagram.

Zak is sending me the tryout details as they get closer, and I’ll share them as soon as I have them.

He said he can’t wait to see me pacing the sideline someday. Sam is putting in the work, and I’ll be taking notes.

What Is What’s Up Dunwoody?

What’s Up Dunwoody is a local media platform created by REALTOR® Matt Weber, focused on living in Dunwoody, moving to Dunwoody, and staying connected to the community. It began as a podcast and has grown into social media content, local guides, and two of the largest Dunwoody-focused Facebook groups where residents share recommendations and stay in the loop. Matt has expanded slightly outside of Dunwoody and now covers the entire top end of the Perimeter through his Top End ATL channels.

Matt is a Dunwoody REALTOR® who helps people navigate buying, selling, and moving in the area. Stay in the loop with local updates, listings, and insights by signing up here: whatsupdunwoody.com/email

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