Elite Hoops Basketball

Is Your Will Greater Than Your Skill?

2012-02-14T17:07:00.002-05:00

Each time I step on the floor and have an opportunity to work with players and help develop their skill sets, I work as hard as I possibly can. My job is to get the most out of each player's skill development each time they set foot on the court. I have no doubts that if players train with me and the rest of the Elite Hoops staff, their game will see significant improvement. But as important as SKILL is in the game of basketball, it is actually the 2nd most important attribute of a player. Unfortunately, the most important attribute is something that I cannot help you with-Your Will.

I have coached, trained, and watched 1000s of players across the southeast over the past 8 years and I have noticed that very few players' WILL is Greater Than Their SKILL. Don't get me wrong, having a great skill set can take you a long way, but having the WILL can take you farther than any skill set you get along the way.

When Luke Adams was two years old, his father Mark, a longtime basketball coach, called for his son to follow him on his way out the door. Mark couldn't get his son's attention at all that day. After taking Luke to a doctor, his parents realized he was severely hearing impaired. After some testing, doctors told his parents that he would never read beyond a 2nd grade level.

Luke, now 5'9'' and 150lbs, is a walk-on at Texas Tech. He has started 3 games this season for the Red Raiders as a freshman and is averaging close to 15 minutes per game. What happened to Luke along the way? His WILL was Greater than his SKILL.

Imagine watching the Lion King once a week with your father from the time you are a newborn. Then, at the age of 3, your father passes away. Imagine that your uncle comes along and helps fill that void in your life for the next 15 years. He is there for you everyday supporting you in every way he can. Over the years, you become a high school basketball star who is being recruited by almost every school. In your senior season, on the day you are going to sign a national letter of intent to play at the University of Kentucky, that same uncle passes away. Now, it's 8 months later and right before Christmas, your mother becomes hospitalized. While she is in the hospital you score 15 points and grab 7 boards in a win for your team.

The person who went through all of this was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Why was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist able to perform at such a high level throughout his life even when all of these obstacles came along? Because His WILL was Greater than his SKILL.

Point Guards who are 6'3'' and lead their team to a 32-1 record and a California State Championship typically get some Division 1 offers. This player didn't. Point Guards who can beat most of their counterparts off the dribble on any given possession get some Division 1 offers. This player didn't. Point Guards who can pass and dribble as well as Nash, Rondo, and Pistol Pete would usually receive an offer from a a Division 1 school whose campus is right across the street. This player didn't.

Point Guards who have a Division 1 Ivy League assistant coach tell their high school coach during the summer after their junior year, "I think he's a Division III player." typically do not play Division 1. He did.

College Point Guards who don't get drafted in the NBA Draft, typically don't make an NBA roster. He did. Point Guards who get waived by 2 NBA teams and play for 4 D-League teams don't score 38 against the Lakers. He did.

Jeremy Lin is now the starting Point Guard for the New York Knicks and is averaging 23 points, 7 asts and 2 steals over his last 6 games. How did a Point Guard who was overlooked by almost every person at every level become a starting Point Guard for an NBA team? Simple. His WILL was Greater than his SKILL.

All three of these players have tremendous skill sets and wouldn't be playing at the level that they are now without them. That being said, I guarantee that there are players with similar skill sets to the three players mentioned above who have gone through similar obstacles in their lives, but they don't have the WILL to make it. These players DID.

Does Winning a Championship Make You a Champion?

2012-01-23T16:04:00.002-05:00

Every where I turn- either on TV, the radio, on the internet,etc., people are talking about who will be a Champion- AFC Champion, NFC Champion, Super Bowl Champion, BCS Champion, NCAA Champion, State Champion. So many people have opinions and express them on talk shows, news reports, message boards, and broadcasts- like, if you win a championship, it suddenly defines that you are a new person or you have a new status or even it places you in the top tier of people in your given sport. I have heard over the years that Charles Barkley, Dan Marino, Karl Malone, and others that did not win a “championship” were in a lesser category because they were not a Champion- as defined by our society. But, is that true? If we suddenly snap our fingers and close our eyes and give them a ring, would people talk about them differently? Would they have a different legacy? Would they be elevated and viewed differently?

So, that is my question today- DOES WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP REALLY MAKE YOU A CHAMPION? When I started thinking about this, I wanted to know the definition of what the term “Champion” meant. And, here is what I found:

cham·pi·on
noun

1.
a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place: the heavyweight boxing champion.

2.
anything that takes first place in competition: the champion of a cattle show.

3.
an animal that has won a certain number of points in officially recognized shows: This dog is a champion.

4.
a person who fights for or defends any person or cause: a champion of the oppressed.

5.
a fighter or warrior.

As you can read- all of the terms are something that must be earned, something that was sought out, dreamed about, acted upon, and success attained. You had to earn the title of Champion- it was something that required action and earning capacity- 100% of the required work had to fall on the shoulders of the participants and then the title was given to you.

We all have a picture in our mind of Muhammed Ali or a prize fighter after a boxing match-exhausted, dripping sweat, and puffy swollen eyes, being held up on the shoulders of his entourage, holding the belt that defined him as a Champion high above his head. But, my question remains, was he any less of a Champion before that moment- that moment when the official counted to 10 and held his arm up?

That is the way society views the term CHAMPION. Thank God that is directly opposed to the way that our Creator defines the term CHAMPION. Check out God’s definition in 2 verses but, spelled out throughout the Bible- it is amazing:

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation (CHAMPION) has come: The old has gone, the new (CHAMPION) is here!

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Amazingly, we are viewed as a Champion in the eyes of the true King. How amazing that by grace this is given to us through God’s son who did all of the work for us- died the death we should have died- so that we would be elevated to the status of CHAMPION! You, me, and everyone if we are in Christ, are Champions- we have already won the prize, the ring, the title belt- our names are written on the palms of His hands-are you kidding me???

So, for Charles Barkley, Dan Marino, Karl Malone, and everyone of us that believe and are a new creation- we can live with that freedom that we are a Champion and our prize is so much greater than any trophy or ring could symbolize, so much greater than anything that could be said on ESPN by critics, and so much better than any history book could define. We are a CHAMPION in the eyes of the Most High, the one who created ESPN and the history books-and that is eternal.

My encouragement is for you to go live your week from the mindset that you are a CHAMPION and are loved far more than you could ever ask or imagine! Go bless and serve and love every single person you come in contact with this day and every day and live life knowing that you can live your days as a CHAMPION!

Have a great day!

Drew Maddux
Tennessee Director
Elite Hoops

Getting to the Next Level

2012-01-17T12:10:00.001-05:00

When I direct camps, clinics, team trainings, or one-on-oneworkouts, I always start with the same question…”Who wants to play at the nextlevel?” Ninety (90) percent of the handswill rise quickly. This could be thehigh school varsity level, collegiate level or professional level. It’s easy to set the goal and say “I want toplay at this certain level”, but it’s very difficult for players to understandhow much work, effort, and determination it takes to achieve this goal. Roughly five (5) percent of players at thehigh school level will go on to play at the Division I level. So how hard do you have to work, and what’s thesuccessful formula to achieve your full potential and goals?

The first step for today’s players is to simply stop playing5on5 all the time. I understand howmuch fun competitive play is, but players must devote time daily to improvingtheir individual skill set. Almost everyteam, at every level, runs some variation of a motion offense. This means no matter what position you playor how big you are, you will find yourself in every position on the floor. Bigs will end up out on the wings, and guardswill eventually find themselves in the post. All players are called upon to handle the basketball, pass thebasketball, and shoot the basketball on all areas of the floor. Your skill set will determine how efficientlyyou can make plays on a consistent basis. For example, scrimmage for a couple hours and you may be able to performa shot fake and going to your left 4-5 times. Work-out individually on this move, and you can perform 30-40times. Which way do you think is thebest way to improve a weakness or better a strength? Repetition and discipline are the keys.

The second step is to learn to love the process of gettingbetter. Basically, becoming mentallytough. You have to work on yourathleticism and body, and be in great shape to play the game ofbasketball. This requires the weightroom, running wind sprints, individual daily work-outs, practice andgames. Players must learn to love theweight room, love and want to win every wind sprint and never take a day offfrom skill set development. Again, thefun part is the games. The hard part isall the effort it takes to get better daily. Learn to love these areas and players will see their game improvingrapidly. When you do have theopportunity to run scrimmages and play in games, you will be able to perform ata higher level.

The final step is simple. Never settle for how good you are now. The goal is not to be the best player on yourteam, the best player in your city, or the best player in your state. Every player’s goal should be… To be THE BESTTHEY CAN BE. This requires a dailycommitment and constant development. Takingno days off. You will never reach this goal, as everyplayer can always improve in some area. ALL PLAYERS. If you take off, Ipromise there are thousands of players working on their game at that specifictime. Remember, five percent of playershave the opportunity to play Division I. Here is a formula for success to follow: One hour and a half developing your body,athleticism, and getting in superior shape, one hour and a half individuallydeveloping your skill set, and one hour and a half playing 5on5. I understand this sounds like a lot. I also understand how many player s areplaying in today’s basketball world, and how many players have the same goalyou do. You simply have to out-workother players.

I wish every player the best of luck in reaching their goalsin the game of basketball. Every playercan achieve whatever goal they set out to achieve. They simply have to be disciplined, bededicated, and be committed to hard work.

James Lee

Elite Hoops

South Carolina Director

"Release Your Potential"

The 3 Parts to Becoming a Great Shooter

2011-12-19T11:57:00.001-05:00

As a shooting instructor, I get asked the same questionweekly, if not daily. How do I shoot thebasketball better? The answer mayshock you. There are three significantparts to becoming a great shooter. Thenumber one part and most importantly, is you have to shoot the basketball thecorrect way. Shooting is an art, justlike the stroke of a paintbrush; there IS a right way to shoot the basketball. Players (and coaches) struggle with making changesto a player’s shot. Until you prepareand shoot the ball the correct way, you will always get the same results. Does this mean everyone has the exact sameshot, absolutely not! The great shooters all posses’ four (4) things: great footwork, great hand placement, thecorrect body posture, and a great follow-thru. Simply, they are PREPARED to shoot the basketball before they evenreceive it. As you go through the levels of competitionfrom elementary school to high school, your preparation to shoot the basketballwill determine your ability to get good shots off in the games.

Once you are shooting the basketball the correct way, thesecond part of becoming a great shooter is to simply shoot more shots than anyother player. Muscle memory andrepetition are very important elements in shooting the basketball. The mainquestion is: How hard are you willing towork to become a great shooter? How muchtime are you willing to devote? Shootingis the most practiced part of the game, yet players struggle with putting theball in the basket. When practicing,start off shooting the ball the correct way, at close range. Build the comfort level and build yourconfidence while seeing the ball in the basket over and over. Once you are committed to shooting the ballthe right way, and committed to working hard, you will “graduate” to the nextlevel of practicing or working out.

The third, and last part of becoming a great shooter, is topractice at game speed. Game speedcutting, game speed footwork, game speed shots in rhythm. Have you ever been to a game and seen aplayer in warm-ups that couldn’t miss? Once the game starts, that player either doesn’t play or he/she can’tmake shots. The main reason is the paceof the game. If you do not practice atgame speed, how to do expect to make shots at game speed? Players tend to “rush” their footwork andtheir shot, and they are never in rhythm. As I stated above, preparation is key togetting game shots off. As an offensiveplayer, you will have the ball in your hands no more than 25% of the time inthe game. However, you will use yourfootwork 100% of the time to get open, and to square up to the basket withproper footwork and pivoting skills to shoot the basketball. It only makes sense to practice your footworkdaily if you use it the ENTIRE GAME, right?

Ifyou want different results than what you are getting now, you must be open tochange and correction. Second, there isno substitute for hard work and shooting the basketball hundreds of timesdaily. None, I promise I would havefound them already. Last, but not least,challenge yourself to get better daily. Challenge (push yourself) to work-out at game speed. If you’re not seeing mistakes in yourwork-outs, you probably aren’t challenging yourself enough. As I tell the players I train, “I don’t wantto see what you can do; I want to see you get better”.

James Lee
South Carolina Director
Elite Hoops/NIKE Basketball Camps
"Release Your Potential"

The Right to Lead

2011-12-12T21:05:00.005-05:00

The Right to Lead by Drew Maddux with thoughts taken from John Maxwell

WHAT GIVES A MAN OR WOMAN THE RIGHT TO LEAD?

It certainly isn’t gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn’t qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time. Leadership emerges.

The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow

The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making you the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:

1. Let go of your ego.

The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I’ll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things.

2. Become a good follower first. (We are going to take orders our entire life)

Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.

3. Build positive relationships.

Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.

4. Work with excellence.

No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.

You need to meet someone who expects greatness from you.

EXPECT GREATNESS, INSPECT FOR GREATNESS, ACCEPT ONLY GREATNESS

5. Rely on discipline, not emotion.

Leadership is often easy during the good times. It’s when everything seems to be against you when you’re out of energy, and you don’t want to lead that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up and giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.

6. Make adding value your goal.

When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership and its highest value.

7. Give your power away.

One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You’re meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.

Human Needs: 1. Live 2. Love 3. Learn 4. Leave a Legacy

“The followers who looked to these leaders learned from them, and so can we. As you explore their worlds and words, remember that it takes time to become worthy of followers. Leadership isn’t learned or earned in a moment.” -John Maxwell

Drew Maddux

Tennessee Director

Elite Hoops/NIKE Basketball Camps

"Release Your Potential"

The 4 Keys to Improving Your Game

2011-12-05T15:27:00.002-05:00

I hear coaches all the time telling their players to go game speed. I think a lot of players get confused by this statement and just go faster, which sometimes isn’t true to game conditions. Instead, I tell players to put PRESSURE on themselves. By training players to put pressure on themselves when they perform drills they have a much greater chance of making the shot, beating their man off the dribble or making the perfect pass in the actual game. There are 4 ways to put pressure on yourself to improve your game. I think you need to use at least 2 of these in any drill to make yourself better

Time: Whether you put :30 on the clock to see how many Flip Flops you can perform or seeing if you can make 4 shots in :20 in our Kobe/Hopla Drill, time is a great source of Pressure that makes any drill game like. Why do you think buzzer beaters are so rare-because of the pressure of the clock.

Number of Reps/Makes: I never like players to say they are going to shoot a number of shots. I prefer them to set a goal how many shots they will MAKE. A few blog posts ago, I talked about how Kobe Bryant MADE 100,000 shots during the summer of 2007. Not only should you track made shots, but also number of sideline sprints in a given amount of time, or maybe number of jump ropes in :30 or even how many times you can make the figure 8 in :30. The number of reps is like the grade your teacher gives you on a test. If you get an 80 on the first test, it would be great to get 100 on the next test, but even getting an 81 shows improvement and that’s why we LOVE to track the number of reps/makes. When players see these numbers increase it makes them feel great about the work they have accomplished and when the see their hard work is paying off they tend to get in the gym more and become even better players.

Punishment: Miss a shot in the game and your coach may pull you out or maybe you even lose the game if it’s a last second shot. In a different scenario, you let a defender go by you and score a layup. Again, your coach may pull you out or you might have just given up the game winning layup. Either way you feel some sort of punishment if something like this happens. How do we replicate punishment in our drills? Simple-We add some form of punishment. It doesn’t have to be a major punishment, but if a player doesn’t reach their minimum baseline number or target number in one of our Living by Numbers drills, we have them do a basketball pushup, basketball burpee, or maybe even a sprint. Something quick and short, but enough of a punishment to make them feel game like pressure.

Defense: Making an uncontested layup is pretty easy and most of the players we work with can make the shot 99% of the time. Now imagine you just stole the ball with 6 seconds left, you have to go full court, no one is in front of you, and LeBron James is chasing you down from behind. A little different, huh? Adding defense to a drill makes a HUGE difference. One of our favorite drills with defense is the Trailblazer Drill. In this drill, not only do players have 6 seconds (Time), they have to make the shot (Reps), if they miss they have a basketball pushup (Punishment) and lastly a defender is chasing them (Defense).

If you can make the majority of the drills you perform have at least 2 of the forms of Pressure listed above you will become a much better player than if you perform the drills without them. I heard my high school coach once correct the phrase “practice makes perfect” to “perfect practice makes perfect.” I’ll take it a step further, “Pressured perfect practice makes perfect.”

In the spring of 2012, Elite Hoops will be rolling out its new Living by Numbers program. Players of all age and skill levels will be able to create their own account on our site, track their progress in a variety of drills, see how they compare against players their own age and also upload videos of their own accomplishments. Players and Records that have been broken and videotaped at an Elite Hoops event will be VERIFIED accounts whereas players and records that are not performed at an Elite Hoops event will be UNVERIFIED. So make sure to contact us today and see how you, your team or your whole league can be LIVING by NUMBERS.

Lee Miller

Director

Elite Hoops/NIKE Basketball Camps

"Release Your Potential"

Shoot the Ball and Close Your Eyes

2011-10-26T22:27:00.003-04:00

Next time you're in the gym working on your game, shoot a shot and close your eyes as soon as you release the ball. Don't open your eyes until the ball hits the ground (make or miss). Not too beneficial is it? Yet that's basically what every player does during their workouts until they meet me.

The reason you watch your shot go in or out is so that you can judge your shooting form and performance. Make all your shots-your form is great. Miss them all-your form is bad, but for some reason most players only watch (and thus track) only their shooting performance during workouts. Players very rarely track their speed, how quickly they shoot, how fast they dribble or any of the other various drills they may work on.

That's where I come in. A few years ago, I began tracking some of the data and drills of some of the players I train. Four years later, we now how a solid database called Living by Numbers which houses 1000's of players scores in at least 12 different drills. With this database, we track players reps/scores for numerous drills. For example, many players are familiar with the Mikan Drill, but no one every tracks their progress in that drill. We do. Check out AJ Davis (2013) of the Buford Wolves as he records 21 made Mikans in :30 tying our record held by former Milton standout and current Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Julian Royal.

We have 4 Divisions in our Living by Numbers database: High School (3rd-4th graders), College (5th-6th graders), NBA (7th-8th graders) and Elite (High School and Collegiate players). We have found that tracking players scores in these drills really encourages them to A) work on their fundamentals and B) push themselves to get a better score each time they perform. Using the Living by Numbers program, players can truly see their progress year over year. In 2010, Owen Ferguson broke our Front/Back Bounce record of 76 bounces in :30, when he collected 88 bounces at our NIKE Camp in Birmingham, Alabama. Was Owen satisfied? No. He came back to our camp again in 2011 and this time he broke his own record and collected 99 bounces (see video below). Amazing! That's a 12.5% improvement in 1 year and when you can show players that they are actually improving it makes it that much easier for them to work on their game.

The bottom line is track every thing you do. Most of our drills are :30, but be creative with your own workout and be sure to make it fun. Then track your progress and watch your own records fall. If you have any questions about our Living by Number program, feel free to email me at lmiller@elitehoopsbasketball.com.

Lee Miller
National Director
Elite Hoops
"Release Your Potential"

The Art of the Screen

2011-10-13T12:47:00.007-04:00

The screen and roll, or pick and roll, is one of the most effective offensive weapons in the game of basketball. There are three parts to a good screen that the screener and the person being screened must use. The first part is the screen itself; it must be a solid screen on the actual defender. The second is the person being screened must set up the defense by going away from the screener and then running the defender into the screen. The final part is coming off shoulder to shoulder with the screener. The screen is best used at the highest level of basketball, the NBA. Players in the NBA set good, hard screens on the defenders, and the ball handler does a good job setting the defense up and, using the screen effectively, and when I say effectively I am referring how he comes off the screen shoulder to shoulder. Here is an example of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire using the pick and roll to near perfection. Take note on how Steve Nash sets the screen up with a hesitation move and then comes of Amare’s shoulder when he sets a solid screen on the defender. That is how the pick and roll is done. This might be the most important part of the screen, if the ball handler does not come off the screen shoulder to shoulder, then that leaves room for the defense to slide through and stay with the ball handler, but if the ball handler comes off the screeners’ shoulder then the defense either has to trail the ball handler or go underneath the screen, which gives room for the ball handler to shoot or pass.

This is almost a lost art at the high school level. Now I am not saying that high school players do not set screens, I am saying that I do not see players set screens effectively. Many times high school players set a screen on an area rather than a defender. You have to head hunt the defender and set a good, hard screen instead of just empty space. By good, hard screen I do not mean an illegal or dirty screen, I mean a solid screen that your teammate can use. A good screen is hard for the defense to guard, and there are multiple options that come from setting an effective screen. The screener can pick and roll for a layup, or he or she can pick and pop for a jump shot. You can even slip the screen, that is where the screener appears to come set the screen and then slips to the basket hopefully for an open layup. These are just a few variations and options that basic fundamentals of setting a screen can provide.

The Real Kevin Durant

2011-10-06T14:20:00.008-04:00

When no one is watching are you working on your game? When practice is over are you getting up more shots because you had a bad shooting day? Do you work on your weak hand twice as hard as strong as your dominate hand? Are you hanging out with friends on the weekend when you could be in the gym? These are questions you should ask yourself on a daily basis if you want to be the best basketball player you can be. If you are not doing these things there is someone else in a gym somewhere doing something to become a better basketball player. Many think success is just given and not earned. There is a reason why Kevin Durant has become one of the rising stars in the NBA and it starts with his work ethic, leadership, and humbleness.

Kevin Durant did not always start out being the most humble hard working player but learned to be very soon. When Kevin was young, he would have good games in which he would brag about how he played. His mother brought that to a halt very quickly telling Kevin to be humble because all the stuff could be taken away from him. From then on, Kevin did not want to take his talents for granted and improved his work ethic. One of the things Kevin does to improve his game is working out after practice is over, and he feels that this is the reason why he has become better during his time in the NBA. He is also known for giving 100% every time on the court going through every drill, every set, and every workout has hard as possible to become the very best he can be. As you may know he has traveled the country all summer on a summer league tour tearing up all competitors that step in his way. Notable games he has played in are at Rucker Park, a historical park in New York, where he scored 66 points. Then in the Goodman League v. Melo League in which players like: Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Chris Paul, John Wall, Brandon Jennings, and DeMarcus Cousins played in, he scored 59 points. How is that for hard work paying off?

Not only does Kevin’s work ethic make him a better player but it also rubs off on his teammates. Through leading by example, he gets his teammates to commit to the team by doing whatever it takes to win. For example, starting shooting guard for the Oklahoma Thunder, Thabo Sefolosha, totally commits himself to the defensive end for the betterment of the team. In a league where scoring is glorified Kevin pushes his teammates to be the very best at their role on the team. Also with anticipation of the lockout, Kevin has already notified the his teammates that they need to meet him in Houston to start training for the upcoming season whenever it may start. All he wants is to get better and make those around him better too.

Kevin with all of his accomplishments has remained just as humble as he was when first entering the league. The only thing that he cares about is winning and remaining loyal to the ones that helped him reach the platform that he is on. The reason he continues to get better is because he has an understanding that he does not know everything about the game of basketball and is willing to learn. As he continues to learn along with his work ethic, his potential is through the roof.

What Is "It"?

2011-09-21T10:32:00.000-04:00

Over the past 3 years, I have trained over 300 HS players throughout the southeast. Of those 300, only 2 have "it". If I was a coach at the high school level, and I could have 12 of either one of the players (both guards), I'd take it. You ask either of the players to shoot 200 shots and they shoot 300. You ask either to be at the gym at 3:00 and they are there at 2:45 working on their game. You tell either of them to deactivate their Facebook account for 6 weeks to concentrate on their game and they do it. Both of these players work hard, work often, and understand what commitment is, but what is the "it" that they have?

Every year, Fortune magazine compiles its Fortune 500 list of the top revenue producing companies in the United States. Number 1 on the list is Wal-Mart bringing in an astounding $421 billion in revenue. Even Number 500, Seaboard brought in $4 billion. That being said, these are some major companies, doing some major business with some elite level CEO's at the top of the helm. A lot of these CEO's could probably work 40 hours a week and still have a Fortune 500 company on their hands, but what do you think is the AVERAGE wake up time for these CEO's? Try 5:45am. According to Starwinar, 85% of Fortune 500 CEO's wake up before 6:00am. That means 425 of the 500 CEO's wake up every morning about an hour earlier than the average American. Will just waking up early give you "it"? No, but all of these CEO's have "it".

Sean Combs "Diddy" is worth $475 million and is the richest hip hop star in the world, according to Forbes. But in 1990, Diddy wasn't worth a penny. That year, he took an UNPAID internship with at Uptown Records. He commuted via train every weekend from Washington, DC to New York to work for free because he had a passion and a desire to make it big in the music industry. A year later, due to his hard work, Diddy landed a full time gig as Director of Artists at Uptown. In 1993, he signed a multi-million dollar deal with Arista records for his Bad Boy Entertainment label that he created while at Uptown. The rest is history and YES Diddy has "it".

In the summer after the 2006-2007 NBA season, Kobe Bryant realized his fingers were unevenly spaced after taping them the entire previous season due to a fractured metacarpal. As a result, his shooting percentage dropped that season. He watched film on 1000's of his shots and noticed the ball was slightly rotating to the right. So what did 5-time NBA Champion, Kobe Bryant do? He MADE 100,000 shots that summer correcting his form and rotation. Kobe says he doesn't practice shooting shots, he "practices making them, " and YES if you haven't figured it out yet, Kobe has "it".

In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, he discusses the 10,000 hour rule. He says that to achieve greatness in a specific field you must spend 10,000 hours mastering your craft. He mentions that the Beatles played over 1200 times in Hamburg, Germany from 1960-1964 and amassed more than 10,000 hours of playing time during that span. A year later, almost everyone in the US knew their songs. He mentions that Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft and worth an estimated $50 billion, started programming at the age of 13 and spent over 10,000 hours perfecting programs before he started Microsoft. The Beatles had "it" and Bill Gates still has "it".

After you date someone for a while, how will you know when he/she's the one? You'll know. How will you know which of the 30 homes you've just seen is your "dream home"? You'll know. How will you know which college coach is truly the one for you to commit to? You'll know. And how do you know when you have "it"? Just look in the mirror... and You'll know.

Lee Miller
Elite Hoops
National Director
"Release Your Potential"

Are You Living by Numbers, Really?

2011-09-19T11:59:00.009-04:00

During our NIKE summer basketball camps, player's worked daily on our Living by Numbers drills. These drills are specially designed in order to emphasize fundamental skills like ballhandling, shooting, and footwork in a timed environment that works to simulate the pressure player's will feel during an actual 5 on 5 game. The 12 drills that player's worked on throughout the week were as follows:

Layup Form:

Mikan Drill (30 seconds)

Power Layups (45 seconds)

Cone Layups (30 seconds)

Shooting:

Cone Jumpers (45 seconds)

Hot Shot (1 minute)

Ballhandling:

Figure 8 No Dribble (30 seconds)

Figure 8 Dribble (30 seconds)

Front Back Bounce (30 seconds)

Front Back Catch (30 seconds)

Flip Flop (30 seconds)

Footwork/Quickness:

Switch Cone Slides (30 seconds)

X-Box (30 seconds)

Each player's scores were tracked by their coach, and entered into the Living by Numbers Database found on the Elite Hoops website. At camp, player's were told that their scores found in the Living by Numbers Database were to act as a "baseline score" or an individual goal, as they worked on these drills daily to improve before tryouts. For our staff, the idea behind this was that if players track their scores daily, they will no doubt see tangible improvement in each drill over time, and hopefully, want to continue to get better as they set higher and higher goals for themselves!

Is that happening though? It is time to find out! If you were one of the players that attended our NIKE basketball camps this summer, be honest with me for a second, as I ask some questions about your off-season training and your Living by Numbers scores.

Have you been working on those drills daily?

Have you been timing yourself to create a pressure situation?

Have you been recording your scores daily?

If so, are you seeing improvement?

If not, why haven't you been working on each one of these drills daily?

If you answered "Yes" to questions 1-4, that is great, and I applaud your hard work, effort, and commitment to the game! And you are probably seeing improvement over the first time you did the drills in camp, so well done because we all know that "hard work brings prosperity!"

For those of you who haven't been working on your Living by Numbers drills daily, and answered with "No" or "Kind of" or "Sometimes," today is the day to stop making excuses! Although we all have them, an excuse isn't going to do you any good when tryouts come and you aren't prepared, or your season comes and you miss open layups because the pressure of the game gets to you!

Luckily, there is still time! You still have over a month before tryouts or before practice starts, so go to your Living by Numbers scores on the website, dust them off, and start working to make-up for the valuable time you have lost!

Although you haven't been working like you should have been over the summer and now into fall, all is not lost. Work on preparing NOW, so that you stand out in a tryout and are prepared to hit the ground running when your season starts! The time for you, as an individual, to get better comes in the off-season because during the season, your coach's focus is on the "team" getting better. So practices consist mostly of team offense and team defense work, not about getting 200 shots up, or working on ballhandling, or individual quickness. You need to work on YOUR game NOW, before the season even starts!

So I say all this to say, that you need to use the next 6 weeks to get yourself the individual work that you need to improve. Take your Living by Numbers scores seriously and working on them daily! If you do this, I can't promise you will make your team or make every layup, but I can tell you that your chance of success is much higher! Good Luck!

-Coach Langley

Fundamental Post Moves

2011-09-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

Every basketball player should learn how to post up and havesome post moves in their offensive arsenal. No matter what position you play, from point guard to center you shouldbe ready to play down low. One of themost important things when it comes to posting up is position. If you get position right under the basket,which is an ideal spot, then you should be able to score just about 99% of thetime. Of course getting the ball thereis not going to happen every time, and this is where having a variety of postmoves comes in handy. Another big aspectof playing down low is reading how the defense is playing you. For example, if the defense is playing on thehigh side, this is a good time to use the drop step move towards the baselineside to seal the defender, and have an easy layup. If the defender is playing on the low side,this is where you should turn towards the middle and make a jump hook or an upand under move. It is important to practiceand learn post moves first without any defense, and once you feel as though youhave a good grasp on them, and then try to implement them against a defender. Here is an example of a drop step combinedwith an up and under by Jake Carwell of Wheaton Men’s Basketball team.

Reece Wiedeman-Skill Development Coach, Elite Hoops

Day 2 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Carolina Courts

2011-08-09T16:25:00.002-04:00

Each day at the NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps we preach to the players that practicing isn't enough. In order for players to truly get better each day, they must not only practice, but they need to practice with pressure. We hear stories from players all the time about how many hours they practice and yet that practice isn't turning them into a better player. The reason why? Pressure.

When a player shoots a shot during a regular season game there is pressure to make that shot coming from numerous sources: their coach (who wants the score on that possession), their teammates (who want to win the game), their parents (they want their son/daughter to look good on the court), defense (who wants to block the shot) and lastly themselves (they don't want to fail). It's not easy to hit a shot with that amount of pressure...unless you have dealt with it before-and MOST players haven't.

You can recreate game like pressure in practice or at home in 3 ways:
1. Have a defender guard you for the ballhandling/shooting drill
2. Have a clock time you
3. Set a number of makes/reps to perform

To make yourself a really strong player use two or more of these techniques together. In our Living by Numbers series that we perform daily at camp, players have 12 fundamental skill drills that they work on trying to get a certain number of reps/makes in a certain amount of time. By creating pressure for players in drills it makes practice more "game like." Thus, when a player gets into the game and has an opportunity to make a shot, dribble the full length of the court with a defender chasing them, etc. it is much easier for them to perform because they have done it before under pressure.

Today, at the NIKE/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball Camp at Carolina Courts players performed 5 Ballhandling drills: Figure 8, Figure 8 Dribble, Flip Flop, Front/Back Bounce and Front/Back Catch. Each player had 30 seconds to perform each drill and maximize their number of reps. We reminded them today that, "The more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war." And based upon the effort today from our campers, they won't be bleeding in games nearly as much as they used to.

Day 1 of NIKE Boys Basketball Camp at Carolina Courts

2011-08-09T15:50:00.007-04:00

At our second annual NIKE/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball camp at Carolina Courts, coaches emphasized the importance of "not mistaking activity for achievement." Players were told that just because they were at camp, in a station, or even playing 5 on 5, they were not going to achieve anything (or get better) if they weren't giving their full effort!

This applies to any aspect of their game, whether it is ballhandling, rebounding, shooting, or defense. A player must go game speed to get better, and eventually perform better in games. The goal is to help players develop this type of work ethic outside of camp when working on their game in the off-season because that is when real improvement occurs!

If players continue to work hard the rest of the week, in their stations, 5 on 5, Living by Numbers, and 3 on 3, then they should see tremendous improvement by Friday! The coaches are excited to see what's in store for this talented and hard working group!

Check out all the action and more photos at facebook.com/elitehoops!

Day 4 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Coed Elite Basketball Camp at GAC

2011-07-28T15:00:00.001-04:00

On day 4 of the Nike/Elite Hoops Coed Elite Basketball Camp at GAC players continued to work hard in their stations as well as their Living By Numbers. Coaches emphasized that they must keep on working hard on these drills in order to succeed outside of camp. All of the ballhandling, perimeter moves, defense, and shooting techniques at camp are designed to help our players work on form, as well as mock game-like conditions and situations. Our goal is to allow players to interpret and execute proper technique, while having to also focus on all of the other aspects of the game simultaneously. These aspects range from defenders, to speed, to time, and to the pressure that comes while playing in an actual game. We want to make the pressure in practices and trainings are as difficult as possible so that games can be a breeze.
If the players are truly devoting all of their effort to getting one percent better each day, like they promised to at the beginning of camp, then they will definitely see the improvement.
Campers have done a great job this week and the coaches cannot wait to see what will come next during "Championship Friday!" Everybody has high hopes of a positive outcome.

Day 3 pictures at Nike Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at CPA

2011-07-28T12:43:00.000-04:00

Day 3 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Coed Elite Basketball Camp at GAC

2011-07-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

On day 3 of the Nike/Elite Hoops Coed Elite Basketball Camp at GAC, coaches stressed the importance of practicing under pressure. When playing in games, players are hit with ten times the amount of pressure than they're hit with during practice. Between parents, coaches, friends, and fans the pressure to succeed during a game is almost unbearable. So it is easy for players to want to feel cool and collected in non-pressured situations such as practices. In practice, it is you, your coach and your teammates. Practically zero pressure. Consequently many players do not do as well in their games because of the lack of pressure put forth during practices. To help players in this category of the game, coaches introduced a couple of pressure layup and shooting drills today during Living By Numbers and morning stations.

The first drill, Trailblazer One on One, was introduced during our Rebounding/Fastbreak Station. This drill has two competing players-one on offense and one on defense-that start under the basket on the baseline. The offensive player, who is holding the basketball, dribbles towards and around a cone positioned at the three point line and then shoots a layup. At the same time, the defensive player sprints towards and around a separate cone placed between the three point line and halfcourt. The defenders goal is to block the offensive player's shot. The offensive player must either score or get fouled to get the point. The drill puts both players in a pressured shooting environment that players will more than likely find themselves in during the games.
The other drills were, again, introduced during our Living By Numbers, these drills are known as Cone Layups and Cone Jumpers. A lot like shooting under pressure, these drills have players up against the clock rather than up against other players. They have 45 seconds to make as many shots as possible and try to beat past records.
Pressured situations are a prime focus for many coaches and it is good for players to learn them here at camp in order to succeed in the future with other coaches.

Day 2 at Nike Elite Camp in Nashville at CPA

2011-07-27T13:07:00.000-04:00

Hunter Vick breaks the Flip Flop record at 92!

Day 2 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Coed Elite Basketball Camp at GAC

2011-07-26T15:00:00.005-04:00

On day 2 at the Nike/Elite Hoops Coed Elite Basketball Camp at GAC, coaches focused on emphasizing how important ballhandling skills are in young players. The more that ballhandling is practiced the more likely players are to get better at the various drills. During our Living By Numbers drills today, players were given five drills to work on in the off-season to not only get better, but to also get more comfortable and, therefore, allow their skills to broaden. Hand speed and hand quickness is a key focus when dealing with the ball. The five drills are known as Figure 8, Figure 8 with dribble, Flip Flop, Front Back Bounce, and Front Back Catch.
Every one of the players participated in the Living By Numbers ballhandling skills putting forth a great effort, and straining to beat the records hanging on the wall. Although nobody beat any records today, it was tremendous to see each player working their hardest under the pressure from teammates, and the clock. Each player was able to receive their own personal best record and that is exactly what coaches are looking for. The hard work and determination that players showed today is exactly what we are looking for in all Elite Hoops players, it is also what coaches in the future will be looking for. If the players can keep up with this hard work then they stand a good chance of making whatever team they try out for in the Fall.

Nike Elite Hoops Basketball Boys Camp In Nashville,TN Day 1

2011-07-26T12:45:00.000-04:00

Day 1 was a fantastic day for over 100 campers at the Nike Elite Skills Basketball Camp at CPA in Nashville, TN. Here are some photos from station work on Day 1.

Day 1 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Coed Elite Basketball Camp at GAC

2011-07-26T09:03:00.000-04:00

Today was the first day of the Nike/Elite Hoops Coed Elite Basketball Camp at Greater Atlanta Christian. With a total of 54 campers signed up for the week to build upon their knowledge of basketball. Boys and girls are intermixed into groups based on age and skill level. Campers flew through stations this morning, and were taught by Camp Director, Lee Miller, to "never mistake activity for achievement." The coaches want to see if each camper can push themselves and try their very best every minute at every task. It was explained to them that though you are physically moving and performing an act it doesn't necessarily mean that you are getting any better, or reaching achievement status yet. By the end of stations, most of the campers were able to achieve the drill in front of them. Stations included drills from perimeter moves to team defense. Two fundamental skills that coaches emphasized greatly on today were ballhandling and proper layup form. Every camper has promised to become one percent better each day.
In the Ballhandling Station, players were taught stationary drills specifically to help them gain a comfortable feel for the basketball. Ballhandling is a fundamental skill in the game that cannot be overlooked early on.
In the Shooting Station, coaches went over the proper layup form known as the "Mikan Drill." This drill is an easy layup drill that focuses on technique and form. Players were to make sure to have their
"right hand, right knee in the air," when performing a right handed layup and the make to have their "left hand, left knee in the air," when performing their left handed layup. While beginner players are told to work on form more then speed normally, this camp has older, more elite players ranging from ages 12 to 16, making speed a priority to most of the players. This encourages them to develop quicker foot work in between layups.
We have a tremendous staff this week with college players and well known high school coaches from Atlanta. Coaches see high skill in this group and look forward to a successful week.

Nike Elite Skills Girls Camp Ends in Nashville, TN at CPA-Great Week!

2011-07-23T14:46:00.000-04:00

The Nike Elite Skills Girls Camp in Nashville concluded yesterday at CPA. It was a fantastic week as there were numerous records broken, girls that were pushed to get better, and ton of fun had by all those involved. Championship Friday ended the week as the following girls were honored for their performances:

Mikan
Claire Wilson-HS
Mary Caroline Hayles- College
Savannah LeGate- WNBA (RECORD-17)

Figure 8
Sarah Davis- HS
Chloe Moore- College
Nayia Holmes- WNBA (RECORD-29)

Cone Layups
Ava Maddux-HS
Micah Skinner, Emma Maddux- College
Jayna Ferrell- WNBA (Record- 9)

Hot Shot
Claire Wilson- HS
Emily Allen- College
Savannah LeGate- WNBA

Coaches Awards
Charitee Groves- HS
Cate Goodrum- College
Grace Dishman- WNBA

Most Outstanding Players
Claire Wilson- HS
Mary Caroline Hayles- College
Jayda Dunn- WNBA

We look forward to returning next year to the campus of CPA in Nashville for another sold-out girls camp. On behalf of all of us at Nike Elite Hoops Basketball, thank you to all the campers, parents, and coaches that were involved in making this a special week!

Day 5 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse

2011-07-23T08:38:00.005-04:00

Championship Friday was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning of with 5 of their 10 stations, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long. After stations, championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division:

MIKAN DRILL

High School-Cameron Lyons (7)

College-Chris Porter (11)

NBA-Ronald McCloud (18)

FIGURE 8

High School-Cameron Lyons (23)

College-Bruce Oglesby (25.5)

NBA-Rayshad Cooper (24.5)

CONE JUMPERS

High School-Deangelo Hines (3)

College-Isaiah Burns (4)

NBA-Rayshad Cooper (6)

HOT SHOTS

High School-Cameron Lyons (34)

College-Brady Hamill (43)

NBA-Montana Mobley (35)

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Complete Player and Coaches Award, in each division visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops.

Day 5 of the NIKE Basketball Camp at Homewood HS:Championship Friday

2011-07-23T08:11:00.001-04:00

Championship Friday at Homewood High School was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning off going through their Skill Development Stations, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long. After stations, Championship activities began! The Top 3 Living by Numbers scorers from each division competed in the Mikan, Figure 8, Cone Layups and Hot Shot Championships. Below is a list of the champions in each division and their scores:

MIKAN DRILL

SEC-Thomas Bugg-11

ACC-Will Hodges-14

NBA-Darren Galvin-13

FIGURE 8

SEC-Thomas Bugg-27

ACC-Remington Patterson-30.5

NBA-Malik Garth-31

CONE LAYUPS

SEC-Zach Shunnarah-9

ACC-Hunter Vick-9

NBA-Austin Patterson-9

HOT SHOTS

SEC-John Nall-35

ACC-Jace Johnson-30

NBA-Tommy Donaldson-44

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Valuable Player, Coaches Award, and Hustle Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops. Keep in mind that all Living by Number scores from camp will be posted on www.elitehoopsbasketball.com by Monday so make sure to download your scores!

Day 4 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Homewood High School

2011-07-21T16:28:00.000-04:00

Some people believe you can go in the gym, work on the same shots over and over, and come out a better shooter…WRONG. You become a better player when you challenge yourself to become better than you already are. You shouldn’t be content when your athletic ability hits a plateau. Sure it occurs naturally, but well-rounded athletes should expect a climbing slope throughout the years that they play. The way to continue on this slope of success is to train yourself harder and stronger each and every time you hit the court, the weights, or the track.

Day 4’s quote was “don’t train at the level you’re at, train at the level you want to be.” Every coach here at NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp sees a unique potential in every player that walks through our doors. But we also see what it takes for those players to reach that potential: the willingness to exert hours of blood, sweat, and tears- nothing less. Signs of improvement occur when players test their body’s ability to elevate its level of play, endurance, speed, and decision making on a higher level than they are on.

Our basic “block-out” drill gives our campers opportunities to defensive maneuver themselves around guys bigger than themselves. In this drill, 2 players are set up under the basket. A coach throws up a shot, hoping to miss in order to give the players a chance to rebound. The players then use their legs and body to place themselves closer to the basket, with their opponent behind them. When choosing a partner, the players should automatically choose someone bigger and better than them for an ultimate challenge. This will demand more from their body’s ability, essentially training them on a higher level. This quote can take on a business-like perspective. When applying for a job, a person “shouldn’t dress for the job he/she has, but instead, dress for the job he/she wants.” Understanding the underlying meaning to today’s quote will help players in all area of life, not just on the basketball court.

Day 4 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse

2011-07-21T14:59:00.000-04:00

On day 4 of Nike Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse warm ups started strong and players worked hard as they went through the motions of stations, five on five and then the Coaches Shootout. Although a fun day, coaches focused on stressing just how important the lessons learned this week will be to their basketball future. Players need to focus on making the trainings as hard as possible, so that games are as easy as possible. It is so important that players "never mistake activity for achievement" and to keep working hard during the off season. If players solely devote themselves to getting better and better every day they will be able to see the daily 1% percent improvement. Going half speed is never an option in this game, players have to remember this.
Another strong point coaches emphasized today was sportsmanship. Coaches work very hard to incorporate this into the Nike/Elite Hoops environment and with Champion Friday so near it is important that players remember it. It is not uncommon to see players shaking each others hands, congratulating their teammates, and even the players on other teams. Even on "Championship Friday" teams must go and shake hands after their games. Players that show good sportsmanship during practice and training sessions are the players that coaches will want on their team. Remember, "it's amazing how much can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit."

These player's skill level has improved so dramatically in the past four days that coaches are very excited to see what is in store for tomorrow as "Championship Friday" draws closer. Players are excited for the games as well as they talk amongst themselves about which team will come through with the win and which teammates will go home with some prizes!

Day 3 Nike Elite Skills Girls Camp in Nashville,TN at CPA

2011-07-21T11:42:00.000-04:00

We had a great day on Wednesday at the Nike Elite Skills Girls Camp. Numerous records were broken. Check out this video of some special performances in the individual improvement time.

Day 3 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Homewood High School

2011-07-20T15:58:00.000-04:00

Another long day has come and gone. Day 3 at Homewood High School brought great improvement as the kids seeked to get better in each and every drill. The campers completed stations after check-in and then made their way to the Living By Numbers drill after lunch. Today's Living By Numbers excersises included Cone Layups, Cone Jumpers, and Xbox, each requiring great skill and quickness. As the campers pushed through our intense workouts, camp director, Lee Miller repeated the quote of the day: "you become your habits in pressure situations." While practicing on the court, one should always remember the correct technique in every drill they work on. Our basketball camps help players to break down the fundamentals to make sure every area of the players game is precise in regards to their technique, while applying pressure at the same time.

There are 3 ways you can apply pressure: (1) with defense (2) with the clock (3) with reps. Although 2 out of the 3 is considered good training, 3 out of the 3 is best because it combines every scenario you will face during a game.A "2 out of 3" example would be if you are shooting jump shots during practice, don't just set a goal of 15 baskets. Instead, set a goal of 15 baskets with a time limit. The pressure of making all 15 shots with the pressure of the ticking clock will help you prepare yourself for game-like situtations. The picture located in the top right corner demonstrates another form of the "2 out of 3" pressure types. As the camper drives towards to basket to gain shooting reps, Coach Miller stands tall with hands high to apply defensive pressure. With this kind of pressure, the offensive player should have no trouble driving around the defender and straight to the basket during a game. But remember, as you train yourself for the game, it is important to create good habits. We believe that you play as well as you train, so it is important to create GOOD habits during practice, so when you hit the court for an actual game, those GOOD habits become natural under pressure, allowing you to defeat your competitor.

Day 3 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse

2011-07-20T15:08:00.000-04:00

Today at NIKE Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse, coaches introduced the quote, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." In school, if you don't do your homework, or study for a test, you will more than likely fail that class or that test. If you do not practice for a try out, you will most likely not make the team. There are so many factors to consider when preparing yourself for anything, so you need to do it right. Coaches emphasized the significance of this quote by focusing on what players need to do in order to prepare for a game. The preparation coaches practiced with today is pressure. Players don't normally practice under the conditions that are going to be prevalent during a game. They don't have the roar of the crowds, or the shrill of the coach in their ear. They really don't even have an opponent most of the time. In result, most players cannot perform as well in games as they can in practice. In order to help players avoid this, coaches introduced a few pressure drills during Living By Numbers and stations.

The drill "Trailblazer One on One" is introduced during the Rebounding Station. This drill has one offensive player and one defensive player. They start on the baseline under the basket, one at the three point line and the other three feet in further. The offensive player sprint dribbles towards a cone, goes around it while on the three point line and then sprints towards the basket to shoot a layup. Meanwhile, the defensive player sprints around a cone next to the offensive player's cone. While a bit behind the offensive players the defender attempts to block the shot. The offensive player must either shoot or get fouled in order to get a point. This drill imitates a pressured shooting situation that most players will find themselves in during a game.

The two drills introduced in Living By Numbers are the "Cone Layups" and the "Cone Jumpers." Instead of up against a defender, though, as most players normally are, during these drills players are against the clock. This could pose as the last few seconds during a game when a shot needs to be made to win or tie a game. Two cones are placed about four yards away from the baseline in opposite diagonal directions. During cone jumpers players must sprint towards the cones, go around them, and then shoot from that cone. While during the cone layups, players must sprint towards the cones, go around them, and then sprint back towards the basket to make a layup. The player's objective is to make as many shots as possible in the 45 seconds that they have.

These drills are good ways for players to train properly in the off season. Though seemingly simple these drills are fundamental keys to a game and must be taken seriously in order to become a serious player.

Day 2- Nashville,TN Girls Camp at CPA

2011-07-20T12:22:00.000-04:00

We had a great day in Nashville as 95 girls worked really hard to make themselves 1% better. The thought for the day was-"If you are not making a mistake, you are not getting better." The girls really worked hard in their station work, games, and living by numbers sessions to do just that- push to the point that I get better because I am out of my comfort zone. We had 3 more records broken as 4th Grader Chloe Moore broke the Figure 8 Dribble (15) and Front Back Bounce record with 70. Nayia Holmes broke another record with 29 on the Figure 8- both of these records are phenomenal and only surpassed by how special these 2 girls are. We are excited about Day 3 and whats ahead during our league games and cut throat times to see the girls level of improvement.

Day 2 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse

2011-07-19T15:00:00.010-04:00

On day 2 today at Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse the quote of the day is "Hard work brings prosperty." It is encouraged by the coaches to work and play hard on and off the court in order to one day achieve their goals, and to keep growing in the process. You will not grow and become a better player without hard work, its impossible. Thats why coaches emphasize the importance of the fundamentals, they are like the base of basketball... You need to have something to grow and expand upon.
One vital fundamental is ballhandling. No matter what your position is on the court, you must be able to control, and maintain control of, a basketball. Coaches stress on the importance of developing good ballhandling skills throughout the whole week, but today specifically. This is because our Living by Numbers drills of the day are all based around ballhandling. Players were given five different drills known as the Figure 8 without dribble, Figure 8 with dribble, flip flop, front back bounce, and front back catch.
Each and every player competing in these drills has the hope of beating the record hanging on the wall of the gym. There were no records beaten today, but tomorrow, next week and next summer still hold potential for these young players. As long as they keep working hard on these drills, they will eventually prosper. If these young players can keep up the hard work they will, one day, be the players that coaches are seeking.

Nike Elite Hoops Basketball Girls Camp In Nashville,TN Day 1

2011-07-19T08:53:00.000-04:00

We are off to a great start to the week here in Nashville,TN on the campus of Christ Presbyterian Academy to the Nike Elite Hoops Basketball Girls Camp. Day 1 featured almost 100 girls wanting to be pushed and motivated to improve 1% more as a player before they came to camp yesterday morning. The thought for the day was taken from legendary coach Don Meyer and it simply was 4 words- "PICK UP THE TRASH." Basically, stating to leave the group, the team you play on, the class you are in, or whatever the situation is better than the way you found it- these girls did just that as they encouraged total strangers, loved each other well, and showed great enthusiasm for the game of basketball and others. We are excited to see what the week has in store as there are some really good players here- in fact, 2 record were broken and we will post footage and and pictures later when we capture it on video on Tuesday.

Day 1 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Homewood High School

2011-07-18T17:09:00.001-04:00

We're back in Homewood, Alabama for yet another round of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp, except this time we are at Homewood High School! On Day 1, new faces arrived at check in bright and early, and the coaches could tell the players were eager to work hard and get better. Monday emphasized refining the players' weaknesses. Whether it is ball handling, reading the defense, or something as simple as communication, the slightest improvement makes it that harder for your opponent to beat you. Our camp director, Coach Lee Miller, stressed the importance of training "1 times your strength to 2 times your weakness." Let's say dribbling with your left hand is a struggle for you and dribbling with your right hand is a breeze. If you work 10 minutes on right-handed ball handling (strength), then you should work 20 minutes on your left-handed ball handling (weakness). Sure it is great to be dominant in one area of the game; however, players that are consistenly dominant in ALL areas of the game outlast their opponent in any situation they face on the court.

Throughout the day, campers worked on various ball handling drills that forced them to work on their weaknesses. Although a hassle at first, each camper soon learned the importance of sharpening the dull components of their game. After lunch, the players were teamed together for a little 5 on 5 competition. It was during this competition that players valued the statement that Coach Miller said to them earlier in the day. Campers were able to understand the advantage of being a consistent dribbler with both hands, as opposed to only one, and exactly why our coaches here at NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp aim to erase any weaknesses our players might have. As the first day came to a close, head coach at Homewood High School, Tim Shepler reminded the players that "it is the average player that goes to the gym and works on their 'favorite' shot or whatever feels natural to them, but it is the champion that pushes themselves outside of their comfort zone because our strengths grow from what once were our weaknesses."

Day 1 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse

2011-07-18T15:22:00.000-04:00

"Do not mistake activity for achievement." One of the many quotes we share with campers here at Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball camps, this quote emphasizes to them that just because they are shooting at the basket, or dribbling down the court does not necessarily mean that they are achieving anything, but instead, simply acting upon a drill. In order to achieve, to get one percent better each day here at camp players "must not mistake" the act of doing a drill with achieving the drill. You must work at it every day and not only at camp, but at home as well. Day 1 of the NIKE Boys Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse welcomed eager campers to concentrate on the improvement of their individual skills, this improvement is mainly focused on during the morning stations. Stations include a diverse set of skills ranging from proper lay up forms in the shooting station to basic blockout drills in the rebounding station. Stationary drills and the proper defensive stance were two fundamental skills that coaches focused primarily on today.

During the ballhandling station players were taught a variety of different stationary drills, some known as the ball slap, corkscrew, and crossover. These are primarily to get the players comfortable with the ball, so that during a game they feel more in control. Players are encouraged to perform each of these drills as fast as they possibly can to prepare for our Living By Numbers competitions done throughout the week.

The drill that expands on the proper defensive stance is known as the "Big Step Drill." The Big Step Drill is a simple directional drill that focuses on how to effectively defend an opponent. Players were to make sure to have their feet shoulder width apart with their knees bent, and their back straight. One hand should be hitting up on the ball, while their other hand "wiping" the passing lane. Their feet should be staggered to the side as they force the player in the direction they want, and while sliding, they should never touch, this is known as the "Big Step, slide."

Players applied the skills that they learned in their stations to their 5 on 5 and 3 on 3 games. Throughout the week coaches will expand on each drill day by day while player's skills expand as well. Our main focus here is to help players improve by one percent each day.

Day 5 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Brown County High School

2011-07-16T08:59:00.002-04:00

Championship Friday was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning of with 5 of their 10 stations, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division:

MIKAN DRILL

High School-MIcah Drane (8)

College-Blake Bastin (14)

NBA-Collin Hoskins (17)

FIGURE 8

High School-Luke LaFevor (20.5)

College-Logan Brewer (23)

NBA-Ryan Coble (30)

CONE JUMPERS

High School-Luke LaFevor (2)

College-Dawson Hood (4)

NBA-Evan Markley (4)

HOT SHOTS

High School-Luke LaFevor (27)

College-Jordan Hovious (29)

NBA-Evan Markley (54)

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Complete Player, Hustle Award, Defense Award, Coaches Award, and Eagle Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops.

Day 5 of the NIKE Basketball Camp at Blessed Trinity: Championship Friday

2011-07-15T16:43:00.001-04:00

Championship Friday at Blessed Trinity High School was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning off going through their Skill Development Stations, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division and their scores:

MIKAN DRILL

HS-Bryce Adams-8

College-Andrew Scorcz-13

NBA-Grigsby Wilkie-18

FIGURE 8

HS-Ryan Kennedy-26

College-Andrew Scorcz-27

NBA-Cooper Schott-30

CONE LAYUPS

HS-Bryce Adams-6

College-Drew Hamrock-8

NBA-Matt Marin-10 (New NIKE Camp Record)

HOT SHOTS

HS-Jack Parson-32

College-Shaun McDonough-36

NBA-Griffin Michael-40

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Valuable Player, Coaches Award, and Hustle Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops. Keep in mind that all Living by Number scores form camp will be posted on www.elitehoopsbasketball.com by Monday so make sure to download your scores!

Day 4 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Brown County High School

2011-07-14T20:54:00.005-04:00

On day 4 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Brown County High School, players continued to work on fundamental skills, highlighted by our final day of "Cut Throat" 3 on 3. With rules that force players to become better communicators and more fundamentally sound teammates, our goal with these 3 on 3 sessions is to make sure that players are ready for a higher level of basketball come this fall. Players showed great improvement throughout the week, as they followed our strict 3 on 3 rules! Hopefully, players will continue to develop these skills throughout the summer. Check out some 3 on 3 action below!

Day 3 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Brown County High Schools

2011-07-13T16:53:00.006-04:00

On day 3 of NIKE Boys Basketball Camp at Brown County High School, coaches emphasized the importance of practicing with pressure! Players typically don't practice or train at the same speed and under the same pressure situations as they are expected to play games under. Consequently many players, do not do as well during games as they do when practicing. To help players with this aspect of their game, coaches introduced a couple of pressure layup and shooting drills.

Trailblazer 1 on 1

The second and third drills were introduced during our Living by Numbers. Cone layups and cone jumpers, follow the same premise of shooting under pressure, but instead of having to worry about a trailing defender, players are up against the clock as they try to make as many layups or jumpers in the 45 seconds! Below is a video of camper, Ryan Coble, competing in cone layups. Cone layups and cone jumpers are both great drills for improving shooting under pressure.

Cone Layups

Day 2 of the NIKE Basketball Camp at Blessed Trinity High School

2011-07-12T17:16:00.000-04:00

Each day at the NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps we preach to the players that practicing isn't enough. In order for players to truly get better each day, they must not only practice, but they need to practice with pressure. We hear stories from players all the time about how many hours they practice and yet that practice isn't turning them into a better player. The reason why? Pressure.

When a player shoots a shot during a regular season game there is pressure to make that shot coming from numerous sources: their coach (who wants the score on that possession), their teammates (who want to win the game), their parents (they want their son/daughter to look good on the court), defense (who wants to block the shot) and lastly themselves (they don't want to fail). It's not easy to hit a shot with that amount of pressure...unless you have dealt with it before-and MOST players haven't.

You can recreate game like pressure in practice or at home in 3 ways:
1. Have a defender guard you for the ballhandling/shooting drill
2. Have a clock time you
3. Set a number of makes/reps to perform

To make yourself a really strong player use two or more of these techniques together. In our Living by Numbers series that we perform daily at camp, players have 12 fundamental skill drills that they work on trying to get a certain number of reps/makes in a certain amount of time. By creating pressure for players in drills it makes practice more "game like." Thus, when a player gets into the game and has an opportunity to make a shot, dribble the full length of the court with a defender chasing them, etc. it is much easier for them to perform because they have done it before under pressure.

Today, at the NIKE/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball Camp at Blessed Trinity players performed 5 Ballhandling drills: Figure 8, Figure 8 Dribble, Flip Flop, Front/Back Bounce and Front/Back Catch. Each player had 30 seconds to perform each drill and maximize their number of reps. We reminded them today that, "The more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war." And based upon the effort today from our campers, they won't be bleeding in games nearly as much as they used to. To see the current Living by Number Record Holders click HERE.

Day 2 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Brown County High School

2011-07-12T16:40:00.003-04:00

On day 2 at NIKE/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball Camp at Brown County High School, coaches emphasized the importance of working hard to develop ballhandling skills. With the Living by Numbers drills today, players were given 5 drills to work on in the off-season to improve hand speed and hand quickness. The 5 drills were Figure 8 without a dribble, Figure 8 with a dribble, Flip Flop, Front Back Bounce, and Front Back Catch.

Every single player at camp competed in our Living by Numbers ballhandling drills in hopes of beating our camp records for each drill. Although, we had no one beat any of the records, it was great to see each player working hard and trying their very best to achieve a personal best for each drill! The hard work and determination that players showed today is exactly what coaches will be looking for when they are putting together teams in the fall, so if campers keep working this hard, they stand a pretty good chance of making whatever team they tryout for next season!

Check out the video of some of our campers working hard as they try to set new personal bests at their Living by Numbers Ballhandling drills! Great work guys!

FIGURE 8 NO-DRIBBLE:

FIGURE 8 DRIBBLE:

FLIP FLOP:

FRONT BACK BOUNCE:

FRONT BACK CATCH:

Day 1 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Brown County High School

2011-07-11T18:46:00.005-04:00

Day 1 of the First Annual NIKE Boys Basketball Camp at Brown County High School saw campers working hard to improve on individual skills in their morning stations. Stations included skills from perimeter moves to team defense. Two fundamental skill coaches emphasized more than others were rebounding and proper layup form.

Specifically, for rebounding players were taught that "when the ball goes up, hands go up." To make sure that players are always ready for a missed shot as it comes off the rim or the back board, players were taught to have their hands up as soon as they see a shooter release a shot. With their hands high they are almost ready for any type of missed shot.

The one drill highlighting this emphasis on fundamental layup form was the "Mikan Drill." The Mikan Drill is a simple layup drill that focuses on technique and proper layup form. Players were to make sure to have their "right hand, right knee in the air" on a right-handed layup and to make sure to have their "left hand, left knee in the air" on a left-handed layup. Beginning players were encouraged to work on form over speed, while more advanced players were pushed to develop quicker foot work in between layups.

Players worked hard to use these skills in their 5 on 5 and 3 on 3 games. We will continue to work on these techniques and other drills that will help to develop a well-rounded fundamental player. We are consistantly focused on improving players skills by 1% daily at camp!

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at BT: Day One.

2011-07-11T15:53:00.002-04:00

The line started to form outside the doors of Blessed Trinity High School at 8:00 in the morning as eager campers awaited registration. Nike/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball Camp at Blessed Trinity kicked off to a great start this morning as players were introduced to our quote of the day, “Don’t mistake activity for achievement.” This quote reenforces the importance of working hard everyday, and trying to be the best player that you can possibly be. Just because you are running down the court doesn’t mean you are progressing. You must be focus and attentive to all the aspects of the game in order to achieve anything, you must work for it. Fran Fraschilla once said, “If you’re the best player at your playground, you need to find another playground.” We like to have players focus on moving forward and to continue onto the next step at our camps. We want to have the players feel like big fish in a small pond when they play in our gyms. Competition is important not only to your team, but to yourself individually as well.
At Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps we do the Living By Numbers competition. Each day we have a different set of skills that the players get timed in. Our coaches record the times and we enter them into the Living By Numbers database. As the summers progress we have more, and more times of kids that work hard over the years and eventually form and break the records. Our Living By Numbers banner hangs on the gym wall so that players can focus on what the record to beat is. As the week progresses each player works hard to become one percent better each day and have their own personal competition against the clock. Today, as the Living By Numbers skill set came to a close Colton Gray and Chris Turk expressed how much they enjoyed the “competitiveness of trying to beat the record.”

NIKE/Elite Hoops Camp Invades Hendersonville for the 1st Time!

2011-07-02T12:35:00.002-04:00

What a fantastic week! I was so excited to come back to my "home"- Hendersonville,TN (just outside of Nashville)- to the outstanding facility at Hendersonville First Baptist Church (the church I grew up in) and lead the Nike Elite Skills Basketball Camp. For over 20 years, going back to the days that I was a high school player at Goodpasture High School and as a college player at Vanderbilt University, I always wanted to return to the place that I grew up to deliver a high level of instruction of the game of basketball to the young men in that community. Well, thanks to Lee Miller of Elite Hoops Basketball, Nike, and Jeff Lake and the staff at HFBC, that dream became a reality this week as 100 campers in a sold out capacity attended the inaugural Nike Elite Skills Camp in Hendersonville,TN.

I knew we had a shot for this week to be special as I knew the All-Star staff we had to lead the boys in their stations and instruct them was at a high level. But, I had no idea that the level of passion and energy this group brought every day would drive the overall commitment of the campers to all new heights. There was phenomenal teaching and instruction happening all over the gym and outstanding dedication by the campers the entire week in every activity and every drill they were asked to perform. The consistency from Monday to Friday in the stations, games, and cut throat was the best I had seen from a staff and I can say that it drove each of our campers to improve 1% each day as we like to say at Elite Hoops Basketball.

With that being said, I want to highlight several noteworthy individual performances from this past week. The champions in each division of the Living By Numbers Competition were:

Mikan:

HS- Tyler Preston

College- Matthew Carroll

NBA- Zach Armour

Figure 8:

HS- Cooper Pennington

College- Matthew Carroll

NBA- Ethan Howard

Cone Lay-ups:

HS- Cooper Pennington

College- Joe Greenwood

NBA- Neil Shimer

Hot Shot:

HS- Tyler Preston

College- Max Barnett

NBA- Neil Shimer

Coaches Award:

HS- Austin Flynn

College- Eli Sullivan

NBA- Neil Shimer

Most Outstanding Player:

HS- Cooper Pennington

College- Justin McMurry

NBA- Spencer Smith

It was a great week and I think everyone is excited for us to return again next year as we have been asked to do not one but, two weeks of Nike Elite Skills Basketball Camp next year. Next stop for Elite Hoops is the Nike Girls Camp at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, TN on July 18. We close the summer out at CPA the following week for the Nike Boys Camp beginning on the 25th.

Drew Maddux

Elite Hoops/NIKE Basketball Camps

Tennessee Director

Day 5 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Homewood Middle School: Championship Friday

2011-07-01T15:28:00.004-04:00

Championship Friday at Homewood Middle School was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning off going through their Skill Development Stations, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division and their scores:

MIKAN DRILL

SEC-Zoe Watts-11

ACC-Justin Byrd-13

NBA-Owen Ferguson-14

FIGURE 8

SEC-Garrett Cupp-27.5

ACC-Will Mizerany-29

NBA-Jordan Smith-35 (NEW NIKE Camp Record)

CONE LAYUPS

SEC-Alex Harris-8

ACC-Joey Compton-9

NBA-Eric Giles-8

HOT SHOTS

SEC-Mac Thomson-30

ACC-Luke Champion-38

NBA-Owen Ferguson-48

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Valuable Player, Coaches Award, and Hustle Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops.

Day 5 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Marietta High School

2011-07-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

Championship Friday was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning of with their 9 stations, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division:

MIKAN DRILL

High School-Orry Owens

College-Jalen Jackson

NBA-Hunter Manning

FIGURE 8

High School-Orry Owens

College-KJ Shade

NBA-Jalen Dampier

CONE JUMPERS

High School-John Forbes

College-Jack Hofmann

NBA-Jack Wilkins

HOT SHOTS

High School-Ian Eckstrom

College-Zack Dietz

NBA-Alex Christina

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Complete Player, Coaches Award, and Blue Devil Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops.

Day 4 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Marietta High School

2011-06-30T18:13:00.006-04:00

On day 4 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Marietta High School, coaches emphasized to players that they must continue to work on the drills and stations that were introduced during camp. The ballhandling, perimeter moves, defensive techniques, and shooting drills at camp are designed to help players work on form, as well as simulate game-like situations. Our goal is to force players to pay attention to proper technique, while having to think about a defender, speed, time, and the pressure that comes along with playing in an actual game. We want to make trainings as HARD as possible, so games are EASY!

If players truly devote themselves to getting better and work day in and day out on the drills that they were taught, they will see 1% improvement daily. 1% daily improvement from now until mid-October, when most tryouts and seasons start, will add up, and players will achieve the goals that they want to achieve!

Campers have done a great job this week and the coaches cannot wait to see what is in-store for "Championship Friday!" Good luck to all campers tomorrow!

Check out some camp photos and video at Facebook.com/elitehoops!

Day 4 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Homewood Middle School

2011-06-30T16:31:00.001-04:00

Day 4 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Homewood Middle School was yet again, another success. Camp director, Lee Miller, prepared the players for "Championship Friday" and spoke about what it takes to win each and every game. As noted in Webster's dictionary, winning is defined as to succeed by striving or effort, to gain a victory. Although the coaches at NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball stress the importance of sportsmanship and taking pride in one's effort no matter the end result, winning is a large part of the game as well. At the end of every day, it is critical to reflect on your hard work and decide whether or not it was productive of just a waste of time. What's the point in spending endless amount of hours perfecting your shot, quickening your feet, or reviewing offensive plays if there is no productivity at the end? Day 4 emphasized "training to win."

Everybody wants to win on gameday- every player, every coach, every parent. But to win on gameday, you have to want to win everyday. It is that Friday night before tomorrow's game when your friends ask you to watch a movie, that you then choose to stay home and get a few more shots in. It is on that Saturday night when you are exhausted from a weeks vacation that you then choose to jog a couple laps around the neighborhood. Our coaches believe what makes our players winners is their level of commitment and their desire to defeat their competitiors. True players train the days other players don't want to. Productivity is the result of intense training off and on the court, no matter how sore, how tired, or how hard you worked the day before. According to Robert Schuler, "tough times don't last, but tough people do." Have you been productive today?

Day 3 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Marietta High School

2011-06-29T17:28:00.003-04:00

On day 3 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Marietta High School, coaches emphasized the importance of practicing with pressure! Players typically don't practice or train at the same speed and under the same pressure as they are expected to play games under. Consequently many players, do not do as well during games as they do when practicing. To help players with this aspect of their game, coaches introduced a couple of pressure layup and shooting drills.

The first drill was introduced in the fastbreak station. Trailblazer 1 on 1, has 2 competing players, one on offense and one on defense, starting on the baseline underneath the basket. The offensive player, with the basketball, dribbles up and around a cone which is positioned around the three point line and heads to the basket to shoot a layup. Simultaneously, the defensive players sprints around a cone placed midway between halfcourt and the three point line. Trailing the offensive player, the defender is trying to get a blocked shot. The offensive player must score or get fouled! This drill creates a pressure shooting situation that most players find themselves in during games.

The second and third drills were introduced during our Living by Numbers. Cone layups and cone jumpers, follow the same premise of shooting under pressure, but instead of having to worry about a trailing defender, players are up against the clock as they try to make as many layups or jumpers in the 45 seconds! Practicing with pressure, along with practicing form helps to develop a well rounded player.

Day 3 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Homewood Middle School

2011-06-29T15:00:00.002-04:00

Day 3 at NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp began with a meaningful quote: "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." Quite often a player will miss a shot and hang their head-ultimately affecting the rest of his performance during the game.
This problem is one that our coaches aimed to solve on day 3, as it was centered around consistent effort on the court. If a shot was missed, the coaches encouraged the players to make up for the missed basket with tenacious defense on the other end of the floor. This quote relates to academics as well. In the classroom, a student might struggle with one of their classes, but it is important for that student to not let those struggles affect his/her grades in another subject.

The players' mental toughness was tested during our 5 on 5 play and our "Living by Numbers" competition. Our "Living by Numbers" contests are used daily and consist of each player competing in multiple drills to try and score their best while also trying to beat a NIKE Camp Record. This type of training teaches the kids the importance of poise in this sport while being under pressure. As day 3 came to a close, Homewood High School's head coach, Tim Shepler, left the campers with these words of wisdom: "don't let the hardships of the past jeopardize the opportunities of the future. A mistake on offense can be easily forgiven with extra hustle on defense."

Day 2 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Marietta High School

2011-06-28T17:18:00.007-04:00

On day 2 of our NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Marietta High School, the emphasis was the importance of team defense and communication. Team defense is dependent on the ability of players to communicate with one another while also being in proper position on the court. It takes individuals working as a team to play great defense!

The 3 key terms coaches emphasized were "ball, help, and deny." Players were taught that when guarding the basketball they should say "ball." This lets fellow teammates know where the ball is at on the court. Players who are one pass away, should have a hand in the passing lane and should be saying "deny." Finally, players who are more than 1 pass away should be in help-side defense, and should be ready to help out a teammate that has been beat by the offensive player they were guarding.

Although this concept was new to some, players did their best to try to use the things they learned at the team defense station in their 5 on 5 and 3 on 3 games, and the defense definitely improved! Below is a video of some of our NBA Players working hard and communicating at Coach Montepare's Team Defense Stations.

TEAM DEFENSE

Day 2 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Homewood Middle School

2011-06-28T15:51:00.001-04:00

Campers arrived at Day 2 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Homewood Middle School eager and ready to work. Soon after the players' morning warm-ups, the gym was filled with the blowing of whistles, shuffling of feet, and the smell of hard work. It is at this time Camp Director, Lee Miller, reminded the players that "the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war."

Day 2 emphasized perfecting the players' ball handling skills. Through the hours of intense training and sweat came great improvements. The campers completed numerous half-court and full-court ball handling drills. Campers started out reviewing the 5 stationary Living by Numbers Ballhandling Drills: These drills included: Figure 8, Figure 8 Dribble, Front Back Bounce, Front Back Catch and Flip Flop. Check out Owen Ferguson, as he break his own NIKE Camp record by collecting 99 bounces in :30.

Campers then worked on full court speed dribbling with both their strong and weak hand. We teach players to practice, "One times their strength to two times their weakness." If they train using that motto, they won't have any weaknesses which is the ultimate goal.

We then included a crossover move within the full court speed dribbling. Players were taught that, "to beat the D, keep the ball below the knee." It is also essential that on the crossover move , players change their speed and direction.

NIKE/Elite Hoops Skills Stations require discipline and drive from the players. The endless amount of energy the players brought to camp today proved to the coaches that they will be ready in the time of war. With every drop of sweat that was lost, a step of improvement was gained.

Day 1 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Homewood Middle School

2011-06-27T17:39:00.006-04:00

Right outside of Birmingham, Alabama at Homewood Middle School, Elite Hoops is hosting it's 3rd annual NIKE Boys Basketball Camp and for the second consecutive year it is sold out.

Here at the NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps, we believe that the best way to learn a skill is to start with the basics. One of the fundamental moves/drills taught today at our Post Play station was the Drop Step move. This drill helps post players read the defense and position themselves around the defender by making a simple drop step towards the basket. Players ran through the move 10-15 times without any defense and then progress into live action with the move. This helps players get a feel for positioning and spacing while also improving their muscle memory. By teaching players the basic moves on Monday, we are able to progress them through a series of moves and techniques throughout the week.

Elite Hoops will be hosting a second NIKE camp this summer at Homewood High School on July 18. For information on that camp please click HERE.

Day 1 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Marietta High School

2011-06-26T21:24:00.005-04:00

At our second annual NIKE/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball camp at Marietta High School, coaches emphasized the importance of "not mistaking activity for achievement." Players were told that just because they were at camp, in a station, or even playing 5 on 5, they were not going to achieve anything (or get better) if they weren't giving their full effort!

This applies to any aspect of their game, whether it is ballhandling, rebounding, shooting, or defense. A player must go game speed to get better, and eventually perform better in games. The goal is to help players develop this type of work ethic outside of camp when working on their game in the off-season because that is when real improvement occurs!

If players continue to work hard the rest of the week, in their stations, 5 on 5, Living by Numbers, and 3 on 3, then they should see tremendous improvement by Friday! The coaches are excited to see what's in store for this talented and hard working group!

Check out all the action and more photos at facebook.com/elitehoops!

Day 5 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Riverwood HS: Championship Friday

2011-06-24T16:56:00.003-04:00

Championship Friday was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning off going through their 10 Skills Stations, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division and their scores:

MIKAN DRILL

High School-Alex Shephard-3

College-Garrett Brown-Eric Cascante-8

NBA-Justin Ceasar-15

FIGURE 8

High School-Cam'ron Breeze-21.5

College-Gavin Wallace-22.5

NBA-Bryan Berger-25.5

CONE LAYUPS

High School-Evan Blum-7

College-Byron Kellam-8

NBA-Drew Drinnon-9

HOT SHOTS

High School-Cam'ron Breeze-31

College-Jay Reece-34

NBA-Dorian Watkins-39

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Complete Player, Coaches Award, and Hustle Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops.

Day 5 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School: Championship Friday!

2011-06-24T14:18:00.004-04:00

MIKAN DRILL

High School-Casey Markulike

College-Garrett Brown

NBA-Weber Sandlin

FIGURE 8

High School-Ian Frost

College-Garrett Brown

NBA-Dylan Lawson

CONE JUMPERS

High School-Ian Frost

College-Matthew Strzelecki

NBA-Christian O'Malley

HOT SHOTS

High School-Mitchell Stanziale

College-Aiden McAllister

NBA-Weber Sandlin

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Complete Player, Coaches Award, and Hustle Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops.

Day 4 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School

2011-06-23T21:09:00.007-04:00

On day 4 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School, players continued to work on fundamental skills, highlighted by our final day of "Cut Throat" 3 on 3. With rules that force players to become better communicators and more fundamentally sound teammates, our goal with these 3 on 3 sessions is to make sure that players are ready for a higher level of basketball come this fall. Players showed great improvement throughout the week, as they followed our strict 3 on 3 rules! Hopefully, players will continue to develop these skills throughout the summer.

Check out some 3 on 3 action at facebook.com/elitehoops!

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Riverwood: Day Four.

2011-06-23T15:15:00.000-04:00

"Be quick but don't hurry," one of our more emphasized quotes here at Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps applies to a variety of different plays in basketball. We want players to be quick with their moves, but not quick enough that they are going to make a mistake. One of our motto's when explaining this to players is to "read and react" meaning read the situation in front of you and then react to it. A lot of the time, especially in younger players, they like to just receive the ball and go with it, reacting too quickly. However, when they read the situation they can paint a mental picture of what their next move should be rather than just reacting and potentially losing the ball.

In the later part of every day the players all participate on our three on three "Cut throat" games. In these games, each divisions have different rules. In the high school division, the defense must close out while the offense yells "score" and gets into triple threat on each catch. In the college division, offense must make at least three passes before scoring and the defense must yell "shot" at any attempt. In the NBA division, offense must set screens as well as do everything else that college and high school have to. Other rules applied in these games include the offense's limitation on two to three dribbles per catch, defense yelling "ball, help or deny" continuously, back door scores being worth two points and each player using a jab, pump or ball fake before making a move.

The reason that this game is so beneficial to the players then others may be is because it is such a strict half court game, this being important in that the players have less space and, therefore, less time to make a decision, our "read and react" motto really tying into the dynamics. Having the players make decisions under such strict pressure will prepare them better for regular games in the future.

Day 3 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School

2011-06-22T20:12:00.004-04:00

On day 3 of the NIKE Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School, coaches emphasized the importance of practicing with pressure! Players typically don't practice or train at the same speed and under the same pressure as they are expected to play games under. Consequently many players, do not do as well during games as they do when practicing. To help players with this aspect of their game, coaches introduced a couple of pressure layup and shooting drills.

The first two drills were introduced during our Living by Numbers. Cone layups and cone jumpers, follow the premise of shooting under pressure, but instead of having to worry about a trailing defender like players might have to in a game, players are up against the clock as they try to make as many layups or jumpers in the 45 seconds! Cone layups and cone jumpers are both great drills for improving shooting under pressure.

Tomorrow players will continue shooting under pressure with a drill called Trailblazer 1 on 1. Trailblazer 1 on 1, has 2 competing players, one on offense and one on defense, starting on the baseline underneath the basket. The offensive player, with the basketball, dribbles up and around a cone which is positioned around the three point line and heads to the basket to shoot a layup. Simultaneously, the defensive players sprints around a cone placed midway between half-court and the three point line. Trailing the offensive player, the defender is trying to get a blocked shot. The offensive player must score or get fouled! This drill creates a pressure shooting situation that most players find themselves in during games.

As players leave camp and begin to train on their own in the off-season, we want them to learn how to train properly. Working on the fundamentals is key and should make up the bulk of a workout, but a portion of any complete workout should involve some element where players work under pressure!

Check out some pictures from today at facebook.com/elitehoops!

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Riverwood: Day Three

2011-06-22T15:00:00.001-04:00

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." At Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps we strive to prepare young players for their future in basketball. We focus on the fundamentals, the basics of basketball and start young players off early and develop from there. A player can only get better if they prepare themselves to do so. When a student doesn't prepare for a test they will not get a good grade on the test, and might even fail it. They knew going into it that they were not prepared, but went through with it anyways. Just like when a player doesn't prepare for a try out he is only preparing himself to not make it. In order to emphasize our point more, we do the Living By Numbers Challenge every week with the campers. In this competition, coaches time their players as they perform each drill and try to break previous camp records. Players relish in the idea that they can compare their skill level with other campers through out every previous Elite Hoops Camp. By working on these drills all year the players can come back the following summer and try to beat their own records and other players. We give the players a chance to prepare for every upcoming year of camp so that when they do succeed, they have tracked it.

Today, one of our campers even beat the Cone Jumper drill's record with eight consecutive shots in under forty-five seconds. He is living proof that Living By Numbers prepares you for future you have with basketball. Way to go Whid!

Day 2 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School

2011-06-21T17:17:00.007-04:00

On day 2 at NIKE/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School, coaches emphasized the importance of working hard to develop ballhandling skills. With the Living by Numbers drills today, players were given 5 drills to work on in the off-season to improve hand speed and hand quickness. The 5 drills were Figure 8 without a dribble, Figure 8 with a dribble, Flip Flop, Front Back Bounce, and Front Back Catch.

Check out the video of camper Ethan Smith working hard as he tries to set a new personal best at the Living by Numbers Figure 8 drill! Great work Ethan!

FIGURE 8 NO-DRIBBLE:

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Riverwood: Day Two.

2011-06-21T15:48:00.000-04:00

"Do not let what you cannot do, interfere with what you can." Here at Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball camps we stress the importance of this quote daily. It is too easy to let your weaknesses defeat you, and harder to let your strengths define you. You must be able to overcome your weaknesses in order to succeed in your strengths.
During our stations every morning we focus on the fundamentals of basketball: shooting, defending, rebounding, and ballhandling. If one player is very good at defending, but not very good at shooting then he cannot let his mistakes during the shooting station interfere with his effort at the defensive station. In school, if a student has a low C in their Science class but has an A in English then he must focus on bettering his strengths in English rather than dwelling on his weaknesses in Science. When a player misses his shot during a game, he must focus on running back down the court to play defense and not keep focusing on his miss. Players cannot let themselves get down, and here at camp we work with the players every day on their individual strengths and weaknesses. As a result of this, players can get one percent better each and every day without their "cannots" interfering with their "cans."

Day 1 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School

2011-06-20T17:10:00.004-04:00

The 2nd annual NIKE Basketball Camp at Piney Grove Middle School, opened on Monday empahasizing the importance of the fundamentals. Players were introduced to individual skills drills that they should work on daily, if they are truly serious about developing a well-rounded skill set.

The one drill highlighting this emphasis on fundamental skill development was the "Mikan Drill." The Mikan Drill is a simple layup drill that focuses on technique and proper layup form. Players were to make sure to have their "right hand, right knee in the air" on a right-handed layup and to make sure to have their "left hand, left knee in the air" on a left-handed layup. Beginning players were encouraged to work on form over speed, while more advanced players were pushed to develop quicker foot work in between layups.

As the week continues, coaches will emphasize the fundamentals, but move towards more advanced moves during stations. This is all part of our attempt to make sure that players improve by 1% daily!

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Riverwood: Day One.

2011-06-20T15:00:00.003-04:00

The ability to "know your role" is an important aspect of basketball. Monday is the day that coaches get a chance to feel out the players they will be working with for the next week. During stations in the mornings, players focus on the fundamentals of the game, focusing on their individual skills and really feeling themselves out. It is not until the five on five games mid-day that the coaches can critique their players and see what type of player they are. The differences between all of the players really shine by the end of the day, during the three on three games, putting the focus on a small group of players who are playing together allows the coaches to see their strengths and weaknesses.

There are many types of players: the shooter, the passer, the rebounder, and even the motivator. The shooter will be the player who goes in for the outside shot, the lay up or even a three pointer. The player who ultimately ends up with ball at the end of each play. The passer will be the play maker, keeping the ball in motion and away from the other team long enough for the shooter to obtain it. The rebounder is who will be hanging out under the hoop in case the shooter's ball doesn't make it through. The rebounder is important so that the team can have a quick chance at recovering their shot. Our motivator is one of the most important players. This player must embrace his role in himself, and in his team. This player won't be the best player on the team, and he may even keep the bench warm the entire season, but because of this player his team will give their full effort, the harder he cheers and the more he eggs them on the better chances they have of winning. Knowing your role is a huge factor in the game, and in individual practice. Once the player obtains a role, he can then work to bettering himself everyday.

Day 5 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Blessed Trinity High School-Championship Friday

2011-06-17T17:24:00.000-04:00

Championship Friday at Blessed Trinity was a record breaking day for campers, parents and coaches! Players started their morning by going through their skill stations one final time, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long in terms of fundamental development. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships, where we had some record breaking scores. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division along with their score:

MIKAN DRILL

High School-Kolby Wade-14

College-Thomas Wellington-13

NBA-Will Hennessy

FIGURE 8

High School-Joseph Stanziano-25

College-Will Boyk 25.5

NBA-Cole Taylor-28.5

CONE LAYUPS

High School-Eric Cody-7

College-Alex Bruce-9

NBA-Justin Jones-9

HOT SHOTS

High School-Kolby Wade-32

College-Will Boyk-50

NBA-Nick Couch-33

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! In the NBA division, we even had a 3 point buzzer beater by Corey Swade! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE headbands, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Individual Awards and MVP Awards in each division, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops

Day 5 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Stockbridge High School: Championship Friday!

2011-06-16T22:39:00.008-04:00

Championship Friday was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning of with their 6 stations, where they review what they had been taught all week long. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division:

MIKAN DRILL

High School-Justin Wright

College-Omar Mohammed

NBA-Larry Williams

FIGURE 8

High School-Adrian Boykin

College-Donnell German

NBA-Joshua Taylor

CONE JUMPERS

High School-Justin Wright

College-Lorenzo Forbes

NBA-Terrence Raines

HOT SHOTS

High School-Terrance Boykin

College-Joshua Lanier

NBA-Jonathen Manning

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Complete Player, Coaches Award, Defense Award, Most Improved Award and TIGER Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops.

Day 4 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Stockbridge High School

2011-06-16T17:31:00.005-04:00

On day 4 of the NIKE Basketball Camp at Stockbridge High School, players continued to work on individual skill development with their morning stations and from the first day, our goal each in everyday in those stations was to "not mistake activity for achievement." Going through the motions and working at half speed was not an option if players truly wanted to improve their skills. Each player has tried to make sure that when ever they are going through a drill, a station, or 5 on 5 games they are trying to get better by going full speed.

Although working on basketball skills is important at camp, coaches are also trying to foster an environment of sportsmanship between players at camp as well. Campers are working on showing good sportsmanship. It is not out of the ordinary to see players giving high fives, encouraging one another, be it in games or in stations. These players that pay special attention to being good teammates by showing good sportsmanship are players that coaches love to have on their teams. Hopefully, we will see some of our best sportsmanship and hard work tomorrow for "Championship Friday!"

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at BT: Final Full Day!

2011-06-16T15:00:00.003-04:00

Here at Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps we focus on preparing the players for actual games. One aspect of this preparation is pressure. We have three on three, five on five, and Living By Number competitions to pressure the players to become the best versions of themselves. At camp, and at practices the players need to feel the pressure that their are going to feel on the court in order to perform at their best level. If a player goes half speed in practice, then he will go half speed in the game. If the players put pressure on themselves at all times then the habits that they adopt in the time off the court will soon become habits on the court.
In our Team Defense Station, we have players learn three key defensive positions, known as, "Ball, Deny and Help." Players must call "ball" when covering the ball, "deny" when they are one pass away from getting the ball, with their hand in the passing lane, facing out and the thumb pointed down, then, finally, "help" when they are two or more passes away. When in the help position they must have their butt to the baseline, in a good stance, and have their eyes on both their ball and their man. Coaches are strict on calling the appropriate positions and make the players start over whenever they cannot hear the calls by the players. By having the players learn these under such pressured and strict positions, we are enabling them to develop these skills as habits.

Day 3 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Stockbridge High School

2011-06-15T19:30:00.003-04:00

On Day 3 at the NIKE/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball Camp at Stockbridge High School, coaches emphasized using offensive skills that players were taught in stations, in their 5 on 5 and 3 on 3 games. One important skill that was taught in stations was the PICK AND ROLL. Players were taught the importance of moving without the basketball, whether it was setting up a defender before a pick or rolling to the basket after setting a screen. After working on this skill in stations, coaches encouraged players to move without the basketball and set screens to get teammates open! Moving without the basketball is an important skill and spacing on the court is something that players will continue to work on throughout the week, and hopefully each day players will get 1% better at this difficult skill. Wednesday was a success, and coaches can't wait to see more improvement on Thursday!

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at BT: Day Three.

2011-06-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

"Hard work brings prosperity." Here at Nike/Elite Hoops we don't expect the best players, but instead, the best work. There has never been a student to study hard and not get better grades. There has never been a player to run harder and not get quicker. Most people think that prosperity is only money, and that is true, in the business world. In basketball, prosperity brings strength, edge and confidence. In school, it means smarts, and education. In order to prosper as a player you must work hard on and off the court. At Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps we have speed and agility drills to make the players work their hardest and achieve prosperity. The XBox is a new drill this year which uses speed as its main focus. Cones are set up as a square and the players start at the back left block, they then sprint to the top right elbow and slide towards the front left elbow and then sprint to the back right elbow to finish. Each cone that they reach is a quarter point. Our record was set last week at Greater Atlanta Christian School by players Steffen Smith and Michael Cogan with a 4.75, almost reaching five full revolutions in thirty seconds.

Day 2 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Stockbridge High School

2011-06-14T17:35:00.004-04:00

On the second day of the NIKE Basketball Camp at OCHS, players were pushed to use the skills that they learned in their stations in their 5 on 5 and 3 on 3 games . One skill that was highlighted in today's stations was communicating on defense, saying "ball, deny, or help." Although a new skill for most players, communication on defense is one of the most important things for players who want to play at a higher level, so coaches worked on having players constantly talking during 5 on 5 games and 3 on 3 games.

A player doesn't have to be the best offensive player to find playing time on a team. Playing time can also be found on the defensive end of the court. Any player can play defense! If players focus on proper technique and communication, they will always have a spot on any team. Coaches love smart defensive players, and are always looking for someone to be a leader on the defensive end.

Day 2 was a success! We will continually reinforce these good defensive habits throughout the week, so players learn to implement them in their upcoming fall seasons.

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at BT: Day Two.

2011-06-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

"You have to work twice as hard in an empty gym as you do in a full gym." When players are in front of large crowds and they can hear the intensity of the feedback they are getting, they are on a whole other level. During a Blessed Trinity basketball game, there are over a thousand fans screaming encouragement when their team makes a good play giving the players confidence, or disappointment when their team loses giving the players determination. When the players are practicing whether it be in their driveway under a single hoop, or on the court with five teammates, they must fill themselves with the intensity that they will feel in a full gym. Making it twice as hard to give a full effort when it all depends on you.

In our Perimeter Play Station we worked on our drill known as "Kevin Durant 1x/2x Cross." In this drill, the players go full speed at a chair and make a crossover move while changing direction and then go on to shoot a layup. In this station specifically, players have to really push themselves to make the shot, focusing on speed and agility to get past their "enemy." Earlier in the week, we performed the "Rip Through and Attack" drill where the coaches throw the players a ball and the players must pivot with their baseline foot and rip through the defender, we teach this drill using the slogan "from their waist to their knees and the defender will feel the breeze." Players must put all of their effort into this drill because they are up against actual defenders who are focusing on pursuing them. When both players let themselves feel the intensity of a full gym in the empty gym, they will then succeed in getting one percent better every day.

Day 1 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Stockbridge High School

2011-06-13T17:14:00.006-04:00

On day 1 of NIKE Basketball Camp at Stockbridge High School, coaches emphasized the importance of proper form when shooting layups. Players worked on drills during warm-ups, stations and Living by Numbers that all emphasized form layup shooting.

Coaches expect players at any level to be able to shoot layups with proper form. Players were taught that, to shoot a right hand layup from the right side of the basket, they would jump off of their left foot and have their right hand and right knee in the air as the ball is released toward the basket. To shoot a left hand layup from the left side of the basket, players need to jump off of their right foot and have their left hand and left knee in the air as the ball is released toward the basket.

For players who were having trouble with form coaches taught them a drill called "block layups." When preforming the block layup drill players, start with both feet on the right block to work on right hand layups. Players take one step off the block with their left foot, and jumping straight up toward the basket with the ball in their right hand with your right knee in the air. Some players practiced this drill, until they became comfortable shooting the layup consistently with proper form.

Players were told to practice these drills until they became comfortable shooting layups consistently with proper form. Players form improved throughout the day and culminated in some pretty high scores in the Living by Number's Mikan competition! Players were definitely getting 1% better!

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at BT: Day One.

2011-06-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

John Wooden once said, "Do not mistake activity for achievement." What he means by this is don't think just because you are going through the motions of school and work it means that you are getting better at them. You actually have to work hard at what your doing. Here at Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps we want full effort. You can't just slide, you can't just shoot, you must try! In order to be successful you have to put everything that you have into a task and prove to yourself and those around you that you are working at it.

Players demonstrate this specifically in our Ballhandling Station. Players perform the Flip Flop, Front/Back Catch, Front/Back Bounce, Figure 8, and Figure 8 Dribble drills in the station in the morning. We emphasize to the kids that though they are going through the motions, they are not yet getting better. They are active, but not yet achieving. In order to encourage players to work hard and to show progress, we do the "Living By Numbers" competition. In this competition, coaches time their players as they perform each drill and try to break previous camp records. Players relish in the idea that they can compare their skill level with other campers through out every previous Elite Hoops Camp. By not only having a competition, but also allowing the players to track their individual progress, Elite Hoops encourages a better effort, and, in turn, brings out better players.

Day 5 of NIKE Boys Basketball Camp at GAC: Championship Friday

2011-06-12T15:12:00.001-04:00

Championship Friday at Greater Atlanta Christian was an exciting day for campers, parents and coaches! Players started their morning by going through their skill stations one final time, where they reviewed what they had been taught all week long in terms of fundamental development. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division along with their score:

MIKAN DRILL

High School-Nate Mixon-9

College-Aaron Rowe-10

NBA-Ian Joseph-19

FIGURE 8

High School-JD Kavel 26.5

College-Will Fields-29

NBA-Trey Morrison-31

CONE LAYUPS

High School-Jalen Anderson-8

College-Brandon Harvey-9

NBA-Jordan Williams-9

HOT SHOTS

High School-Patrick Kremer-34

College-Eric Biederman-36

NBA-Ian Joseph-42

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE headbands, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Coaches Award and MVP Award in each division, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops

Day 5 of NIKE Girls Basketball Camp at Blessed Trinity High School: Championship Friday!

2011-06-10T16:39:00.006-04:00

Championship day was exciting for campers and full of basketball! Players started their morning of with 10 stations, where they review what they had been taught all week long. After stations, players competed in their semi-finals games of their 5 on 5 leagues. After the semi-finals games, Championship activities began! Players competed in their Living By Number Championships. Below is a list of the drills that players competed in and the champions in each division:

MIKAN DRILL

High School-Lindsey Kuipers

College-Courtney Finkel

NBA-Theresa Morse

FIGURE 8

High School-Katie Stanziano

College-Sophie Aldridge

NBA-Ellen Schlich

CONE JUMPERS

High School-Isabel Roberts

College-Lauren Brack

NBA-Natalia O'Neill

HOT SHOTS

High School-Ally Weinstein

College-Sophie Aldridge

NBA-Grace McNamee

Congratulations to all of our LIVING BY NUMBERS CHAMPIONS!

After our Living by Numbers Championships, all leagues participated in a championship game on the main court, with parents, other players, and coaches watching! All the games were exciting to the very end! At the award ceremony following the championship games, some players received NIKE bookbags, NIKE sweatshirts, and NIKE t-shirts for all of their hard work! To find out who won the Most Complete Player, Coaches Award, and TITAN Award, visit www.facebook.com/elitehoops.

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at GAC Day Four

2011-06-09T14:19:00.000-04:00

John Wooden once stated that, "Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your very best." Knowing that you are successful is not in hearing what your parents tell you, seeing what the score board says or even listening to the players on your team. Success is you knowing that you did the best that you could possibly have done. That is when you are truly successful. If you win a game by twenty points you are not automatically successful, because maybe you could have won by thirty. However, if you get an eighty on a test you could still be successful because that is the best that you could possibly have done. You tried your hardest, and that is what counts. That is what we encourage here at Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps, for every player to come out here and make a success out of themselves.

In our Defensive Station that drive is put to the test everyday, however, particularly today. In the "Guard Your Yard" drill where players go one on one offense versus defense, they are put up against each other for a win. After three dribbles in a seven second time frame the offensive player must shoot. Throughout the week the box gets bigger and bigger starting on Wednesday at the free throw line for High School division and then the 3 point line for the NBA and College divisions. This station specifically focuses on self achievement in knowing that you went all out against your opponent to make the shot.

Day 3 of NIKE Girls Basketball Camp at Blessed Trinity

2011-06-08T17:15:00.007-04:00

On day 3 of NIKE Girls Basketball Camp at Blessed Trinity High School, coaches emphasized the importance of practicing with pressure! Players typically don't practice or train at the same speed and under the same pressure as they are expected to play games under. Consequently many players, do not do as well during games as they do when practicing. To help players with this aspect of their game, coaches introduced a couple of pressure layup and shooting drills.

The first drill was introduced in the fastbreak station. Trailblazer 1 on 1, has 2 competing players, one on offense and one on defense, starting on the baseline underneath the basket. The offensive player, with the basketball, dribbles up and around a cone which is positioned around the three point line and heads to the basket to shoot a layup. Simultaneously, the defensive players sprints around a cone placed midway between halfcourt and the three point line. Trailing the offensive player, the defender is trying to get a blocked shot. The offensive player must score or get fouled! This drill creates a pressure shooting situation that most players find themselves in during games.

The second and third drills were introduced during our Living by Numbers. Cone layups and cone jumpers, follow the same premise of shooting under pressure, but instead of having to worry about a trailing defender, players are up against the clock as they try to make as many layups or jumpers in the 45 seconds! Below is a video of camper, Lacie Johnson, competing in cone layups. Cone layups and cone jumpers are both great drills for improving shooting under pressure.

Cone Layups

Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at GAC Day Three

2011-06-08T15:03:00.000-04:00

"Be quick, but don't hurry" Coming into day three of Nike/ Elite Hoops Basketball Camp here at GAC coaches emphasize the importance of hustle. Letting players know that important decisions during the game should be made efficiently but not clumsily. Hustle is important during the game, practice and especially here at camp. The quicker the players are the quicker things can get started. Players showed off their speed abilities today and proved that they can stay true to our quote of the day as we had a number of top scorers in our Living By Numbers drills today. Campers Jordan, Michael, Trey, Christian, and Matt got the high scores for Xbox which is one of our top speed drills. By placing four cones in the shape of a square, players side step and sprint in a specific order from each cone to the next, and therefore sharpening their speed and agility.

Our coaches also focused on the speed of the game in our Motion Station. Players participated in our Motion drill know as the "Pick and Roll" where the point guard points to the wing and sets a screen, which the wing then comes off of, penetrating the middle a making a quick pass to the roller. After this rotation the wing can them take a shot. By setting the players up in motion drills such as this one as well as the ones earlier in the week such as "Pass and Screen Away" and "Pass, Cut, and Replace" we are better preparing our players quickness and sustainability so that they can develop the instinct needed for quick decisions during the game.