Coaches and Staff
BOYS COACHES
Joe Pena, Director
Certified MSHSL Coach, JV Coach Boys – Medford HS, Assistant Varsity Coach Boys
Coach Brandon Pena
Coach Lucas Trumbull
Coach Corey Samora
GIRLS COACHES
Joe Pena, Director
Coach Tony Caywood
Coach Joe Pena
Certified MSHSL Coach, JV Coach Boys – Medford HS, Assistant Varsity Coach Boys
COMMUNICATION & WEBSITE
Jennifer Pena
Email Jennifer
We encourage volunteers to help with coaching! Email Joe or fill out our form on the Contact Us page if you wish to inquire about helping with a team or becoming a coach.
Fund Raising
The Stars organization is non-profit and is open to different fundraisers to help us with court rental fees, travel costs, and tournament entry fees. Please contact us if you are interested in sharing a fundrasier idea!
Facilities
We rent gym space for practices from the facilities in Waseca, Minnesota. A schedule is set up as early as possible and sometimes may change due to the needs of the local schools and Community Education. We practice at the following buildings: Central Intermediate School, Waseca High School, and if needed, Hartley Elementary School.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Travel Tournaments
Each player is responsible for travel to and from the tournaments they participate in, and any overnight stay necessary. We try to schedule as many one-day tournaments as close to home as possible, although we do like to participate in 1-2 out of state tournaments each year.
- How old does my child have to be to be in AAU?
AAU programs start at age 9 and go through 17 years. Students who are participating in Varsity basketball at their high schools cannot practice or play with AAU until their season is complete, and any graduating seniors can’t participate if they have decided on a college program. If we have enough of an age group to form a team, we are happy to do it!
- When is the registration period?
Registration is due by April 1st, 2026, to give our coaches time to form teams and begin choosing tournaments to register the teams for. Workouts are a “trial period” for players to come check the program out, speak to other players and coaches, and get a feel for what kind of people they would be spending the next several months with. Registration fees are due the date of registration as well, or a payment schedule set up if needed. Please speak with us about questions on payment plans or what scholarships might be available for your player.
- How can I register my child?
Contact us to inquire about our program details, and we can let you know how the workouts are coordinated, and how to sign up. To commit to our program, a parent or guardian needs to communicate that with one of our directors, as well as decide on a payment plan if one is needed, or if scholarships are of interest to you. We can direct you to some programs we have worked with that have been very good to us for some time.
- What is included in the registration fee?
Your child will be able to practice with our program from workout sessions starting in early spring to the end of our season in mid-summer. They will be participating in team tournaments, scheduled by our director Joe Pena, and if they would like to “play up” or play an age group above their age, they are free to do that as well. Our uniforms are on loan to the players for the season and will need to be returned by the last day that the athlete plays or returned to us at a scheduled date.