The first time I picked up a basketball I was 16 years old. Inspired by my cousin I decided in my junior year of high school that I was going to be a basketball player. To make a long story short I was cut from the Varsity team that year and sat deep at the end of the bench on junior varsity. The next season I played about three minutes per game, and to no one’s surprise, no schools were banging down my door trying to recruit me. The two things I had going for me were my work ethic, and the second was that I had a vision of what I could be. Being able to visualize not where you are but where you could go is one of the most powerful weapons a player could ever have.
I also had a secret that players and coaches alike sometimes forget to acknowledge. That is that a lot of work can be done in the off-season. As soon as basketball was over I dedicated the next eight months to becoming the best player I could possibly be. In just four years of me picking up a basketball, I was able to get a full scholarship to play college basketball. Two years after I graduated I received a pro contract to play overseas. I do not tell you this for any other reason but to let you know it’s possible. Five years ago I remember sending out an email that simply said, Summer Basketball Conditioning Program. I had no idea how many players would sign up to sacrifice some of their summers to get better.
To my surprise we had ten kids show up, and after that initial summer, I began to see that there were some players that knew the secret. They were ready to put the work in, and we’ve been running it ever since. I have been around the game of basketball as a player and coach for roughly thirty years, and I can tell you the single most important time during a player’s career is the “off-season”. What they do then will determine what they do during the regular season.
In our summer program, we concentrate heavily on the fundamentals. Our job is to not only help skill players up but also help them understand how to apply this new information to a game setting. We will work on situational drills as well as individuals while creating a tough, fun, and inspiring environment for learning.
