We will always send our 9-13 year olds to Nationals if they qualify. Regardless, of what these winning coaches and bitter parents say, national trips for our girls have been a great time. If you have a daughter 10 through 13 years old with an opportunity to go to Nationals, take them. There is no guarantee that she will make it next year. Look at it as a vacation.
High school is totally different than youth.
If you daughter has the talent and the drive to play at the next level, you should concentrate on improving her skills and learning the game. But no-one can tell me that the experience and the composure under pressure, that they learned at Nationals, will not help them in the basketball career. I care first about my daughter and a distant second about this or that club team or organization. I really don't care if NJB or AAU falls into the sea or not. But attending an AAU national tournament has been a positive experience for our family.