This week has been one exciting week at our  NIKE camp at Kedron Fieldhouse and Aquatic Center. Each day the campers showed up eager to start and develop their game with our awesome coaches. That Monday morning, the campers came into the gym with excitement on their faces and ready to do drills. But, they all ended up learning in the classrooms along with the drills created by our coaches. With the combination of the two the campers were to become successful. By the end of the camp, each camper could say their skills improved incredibly as the week continued on.


Throughout this week, the NIKE Boys Basketball Camp at Kedron Fieldhouse has been full of passion and intensity. The coaches also made it fun for the campers so they can still stay in tune with the camp. Coaches had their own intense 3 on 3 games and half court shot competition for the campers entertainment. Out of all the drills everyone seemed excited for the Living By Numbers competitions; which is a 3on3 games that gives the campers to truly show their skills. Living By Numbers stats are collected and tallied so campers can be informed of who has the top stats.

Championship Friday was a success! We had championship competitions for all the players who had the top stats for all drills and games. The competitions were incredible; we even had a camper who shattered a Nike Camp Record.  The last competition before the awards Ceremony was the 3on3 Cut Throat Championship and the teams were going at each other. Nothing but competition from the start of the clock to the sound of that buzzer. Our NIKE Awards Ceremony concluded the camp and each player was provided with awesome prizes. All the campers received workbooks, player evaluations, and various fun prizes. But our winners of the competitions and the awards received a little extra: a basketball signed by the coaches, a Nike bag, and etc.




Below is the list of LBN winners and individual winners.

Switch Cone Slides                                    
HS- Jackson Carter
COL- Ja'kai Jean
NBA- Bradley Greenwood

Figure 8
HS: Rhenart Hernandez
COL: Ben Moseley
NBA: Jackson Stone

Cone Layups
HS: Andrew Fox
COL: Kyle Curtis
NBA: Kyle Bachosky

Hot Shot
HS: Nikhil Chikhliker
COL: Jack Dombek
NBA: Bradley Greenwood

Individual Awards
MVP: Rhenart Hernandez
Hustle: Kyle Curtis
Coaches:Jackson Parker
Coaches: Quaran Hoskins
Most Improved: Erik Green

Kevin Love had a great series against the Hawks this year and stepped into a major role for the team. Part of the reason he was trusted to carry some weight was because of how well he was shooting the ball. In game 4 of the playoffs the Hawks ran this set below to free up their stretch 4 man for a wide open 3 point attempt.

With the playoffs underway, coaches have pulled out their best stuff in attempt to get easy points. The Indiana Pacers got a great shot off with this side out of bounds play that is simple but effective. Coaches at all levels can use this to free up shooters in crunch time.

March Madness has been wild this year and coaches are using their best stuff at the right time. With Virginia convincingly winning, they have experimented with a number of different plays that may be useful and come through in the clutch of a big game. Below is a set that has many scoring options and is simple for the players to execute.

The Atlanta Hawks have finally built their program back up and put together a team that plays well together. The former Spurs assistant coach has changed the way the players approach the game and have them playing as a unit. Plays such as the one below allow everybody to feel involved and is not too structured which makes players feel like they aren't robots.

Oklahoma has one of the best teams they have had in the history of the program and Buddy Hield is one of the main reasons why this team is successful. Lon Kruger has recognized this and has designed plays to free up his star player when he gets hot. This play is quick but affective and easy for teams of all ages to run.

The San Antonio Spurs players may be 75 years old but the great Coach Popovich puts them in sets that help them finish in the top 3 of the Western Conference every year. With veteran players such as Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker and a superstar in Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have no issues with the timing and angle of plays to get themselves open shots. Below is a quick hitter they run that can open up a player for layups and 3s.

Tom Izzo has been at Michigan St running a successful program for many years. One of the reasons for this is that every possession is looked at as critical and even when the ball is taken out of bounds they are looking for quick hitters and easy buckets. This SLOB gives Mich St layup, 3pt, and slip options that most plays do not. Any mistake made by the defense can turn into an easy two points.

Superstars like Westbrook and Durant may not need many plays drawn up to help their team scoring wise but it always helps to have a play or two to get them going. This play drawn up by Billy Donovan contains some screening the screener action and usually ends up with an open 3 pointer for Kevin Durant. If a switch occurs there will be a mismatch which Durant will win 95% of the time.

  

Golden State has started off the season on a tear! Majority of it is because of MVP Stephen Curry and having a great defensive team with players that can guard multiple positions but plays like the one below are great for such a versatile team. Skilled players are able to create for teammates and find open shots when penetrating into the paint.

                             

Now that players have become more versatile, specifically in the post spots, teams have been able to add more screens and backcuts to their offenses. This playset is great for a team that is able to pass the ball at a high level under pressure.

                                     

Butler is known for taking teams without the most talent very far in the post season and plays like this explains why they have been so successful. Lots of movement away from the ball containing awkward angled screens make any team difficult to defend because teams are not used to having to guard these actions. See below one of the plays used by Butler to help them score throughout games.

This play ran by the Hawks to free up shooters like John Jenkins and Kyle Korver has become popular throughout the NBA. It contains plenty of player movement which keeps the defense on their toes and forces bigs to show and help in different directions off of screens. Check out the play below to see how to free up your shooters.