Thursday, January 31, 2013

"Greatness Is Not An Accident"

Posted by Anonymous | Thursday, January 31, 2013 | Category: , , , , , , , | 0 comments



It's an easy question to answer when asked..."Do you want to be a great player?"  When we ask our athletes that question you almost always get the unanimous answer of "Yes."  The real question is, who truly wants to put in the hard work, effort, time, and discipline to become great.  Of course everyone says the will do that, but as we all know... actions speak louder than words.

We tell our kids at workouts that they should spend at least 15-20 minutes a day on ball handling.  Ball handling is such an easy thing to do, plus it does not require a goal.  Think about it... during an hour long TV program, there are roughly 15 minutes of commercials.  Instead of sitting around during those commercials, why don't you work on your ball handling.  In a week, you will put in an extra 105 minutes of work, which comes out to 5,460 minutes a year, which is 91 hours extra work you put in.  Think about how much better your handle will be if you had 91 hours of work added to what it is now.

Shooting can be a bit harder to work on your game as you ideally need a goal.  Muscle memory is a huge part of shooting.  Muscle memory by definition is, " A kinesthetic phenomenon by which a muscle or set of muscles may involuntarily produce movement that follows a pattern that has become established by frequent repetition over a long period of time."  It takes countless hours to get your form down.  At a young age, developing your form is way more important than jacking up 3's.  Standing a foot away from the goal and continuously shooting "form" shots is a perfect way to work on you shot.  After thousands of times of doing this motion, your muscles start to memorize this form which translates to it being a natural motion.  When in a game, you do not even have to think about the correct form, because you have changed your muscle memory.

Being a student of the game is very importants to being a great basketball player.  Players who know and understand the game have and advantage over those who don't.  Watching film, seeing what you did correct and incorrect, and then applying that knowledge to your game can go a long way.  With technology and the resources that are out there today, there are so many ways to learn about your/the game.  Being able to take and handle criticism, even when it is not constructive will only improve your results.

Ask yourself the following questions:
Am I in shape?
Do I get enough sleep?
Do I eat right?
Do I use my time wisely?
Am I consistent?
Is my social life more important?
Am I mentally tough?

These questions can answer a lot about your game and whether or not you are willing to go the extra mile to be great.

The difference between good and great are those who go that extra mile and willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get to that level.  What are you doing when no one is watching or telling you what to do?

"At one point in your life you either have the thing you want or the reasons why you don't."

Michelle Manfredi
Girls Director
Elite Hoops Basketball/NIKE Basketball Camps
"Release Your Potential"

Friday, January 25, 2013

Elite Hoops Basketball Playset: BIG BANG

Posted by Anonymous | Friday, January 25, 2013 | Category: | 0 comments


The best way to intimidate a team is to come out with a BANG! The first play of the game is sometimes the biggest play of the game. With an open shot, easy layup or dunk, and even a great defensive play to start off the game can set the tone for the entire game. Good teams and coaches understand the importance of this advantage. Today I will break down a BIG BANG PLAY to get the basketball party started.

The appropriate name of this playset is “Big Bang”. P1 has the ball at the top of the key. P2 and P3 are on each block, P4 and P5 are right above the block. P1 dribbles to the right wing, and P2 cuts off of P5 to replace at the top of the key. P1 passes to P2. Next, P5 and P1 sets a double screen for P3. After double screen P5 and P1 spread wide to the corner as decoys. P2 passes to P3. Simultaneously, P4 sets a back screen for P2 to cut hard to the basket for a layup or dunk.  If P2 is not open, P4 sets a ball screen for P3 to attack and create a scoring option.

Click image below to enlarge


Nothing gets your team and fans more excited than an easy score at the start of the game. “Big Bang” has several scoring options but the backdoor layup for P2 is the main focus. 

Brandon "I score when I want" Chappell
Elite Hoops Basketball

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Why Are Some People So Successful?

Posted by Lee Miller | Thursday, January 24, 2013 | Category: | 2 comments

Some people are born with an insane amount of talent and somehow don't succeed. Others are born with little talent, but somehow find a way to become crazy successful. So what separates the two? No one knows for sure, but continue reading to discover at least one key attribute to being successful.


The Celtics play at home tonight against the Knicks.  Game time is 8:00 p.m. That means Ray Allen will enter the building around 4:30 p.m. so that he can start shooting by 5:00 p.m. Check out Ray 3 hours before a playoff game two years ago. Before EVERY game he shoots at least five shots from 25 spots (corner, wing, top, wing, corner and varying distances) and shoots at least 25 free throws. That's a minimum of 150 shots before EVERY game. That consistency and pre-game routine has allowed Allen to make over 2700 3s in his career and still be considered one of the Top 5 shooters in the league at the age of 37.

Two of his paintings have sold for over $100M each and more of his paintings have been stolen than any other painter. As impressive as that is, what's just as impressive is that seven days a week, Pablo Picasso woke up at 10 a.m., ate breakfast, and then painted until 10 p.m. He would take a break for dinner and then paint again until 2 a.m. He would go to sleep and do it all over again, a la GroundHog Day with Bill Murray. That consistent work ethic and scheduled routine allowed him to produce over 50,000 pieces of art in his lifetime.

At the age of ten, he requested a visit to the New York Stock Exchange. At the age of 11, he bought his first stocks. He filled out his first tax return at the age of 14 and by the time he was a sophomore in high school he had a successful pinball business. With a net worth of $46B, Warren Buffett is currently the 2nd richest person in in the US. He lives in the same house he bought over 50 years ago, reads the same business magazines he did 20 years ago and eats a prime rib with a coke float from Piccolo's once a week. Whether it's his business decisions or his weekly schedule, Buffett is consistent with his routine.


Coaches always tell players to have the same routine before their free throws. Most players routinely high five their teammates after their first free throw (make or miss). Check out how serious James Harden takes this advice in a recent game against the Miami Heat in which no one was on the free throw line.

Successful people in all different fields have a routine. The key is finding a routine that works for you and is something you can do consistently to perfect your craft.

"Sometimes it ain't about being the most talented. Sometimes it ain't about being the smartest. Sometimes it's not even about working the hardest. Sometimes it's just about consistency....Day after day, play after play, minute after minute." Eric Thomas, Hip Hop Preacher

Lee Miller
National Director
Elite Hoops/NIKE Basketball Camps
"Release Your Potential"

Friday, January 11, 2013

Elite Hoops Basketball Playset: BOB SCREEN ATTACK

Posted by Anonymous | Friday, January 11, 2013 | Category: | 0 comments


Happy New Years! It’s 2013 and we couldn't be more excited about what we have planned for you this year. This will be one of many blogs for all our new and faithful readers. Coming soon are advanced playsets, fun facts, and different categories to help your daily basketball minds. Sit and enjoy!

Taking advantage of your opponent’s mistakes or disadvantages is part of the game. One of the best but seldom used ways to capitalize on this is the baseline out of bounds series. Many teams just focus on getting the ball in bounds safely, but today you will have the opportunity to get the ball in effectively.

Today’s playset is called “Baseline Out of Bounds Screen Attack” (BOB Screen Attack).  The play begins on the baseline with player (P) 2 taking the ball out. P1,3,4 and 5 will be in a box set. P3 and P5 are on each block, and P1 and P4 are on each elbow. P3 and P4 both set cross screens for P1 and P5. P2 can either make a lob pass to P5 or a direct pass to P1. P1 now has the ball and get a screen from P4. Simultaneously, P3 and P5 will set a double screen for P2. After the screen from P4, P1 comes off looking for a pass to P2 or P4. P1 also has the option to attack for a scoring drive. P2 now has the ball. Next, P3 sets a cross screen for P5 to post on the block. If P5 is not open, P2 will wait for an up screen from P5 to attack in either direction to finish the play.

Click image below to enlarge

This play is designed to have different options each time depending on the way the defense plays. Let’s start off 2013 with a bang! 

Brandon "One dribble pull up" Chappell
Elite Hoops Basketball

Monday, January 7, 2013

Do You Have What It Takes? These Girls Do!

Posted by Anonymous | Monday, January 7, 2013 | Category: , , , , | 0 comments




With high school basketball in full swing, it is a great time of year to go catch some Georgia high school basketball games.  The talent level in the Atlanta area is unreal.  I have always been biased to the basketball up north since it is where I grew up, but living in the south now for almost 2 years, my mind set has changed.  I have been able to attend many games this season so far and the level of play is remarkable on both the boys and girls side.

The girl’s side has 3 of the top 15 players in the country being from Atlanta (Buford, Norcross, and North Gwinnett) and 8 players total in the top 50 in the country.  It is no wonder that Georgia high school basketball is one of the best in the country.  A lot of people may say they don’t like watching girls basketball, but I promise it will be worth your time, especially when you go to a game where you have some of these top teams matched-up.  These girls play at a high level and will be significant contributors to the big time college programs that will be heading to in the fall.  If you have a chance, go catch a game and see them first hand.   They have what it takes to get to the next level, do you?

Click the link to see the Top 50 High School Girl’s Players List

Click HERE

Michelle Manfredi
Elite Hoops Basketball