First off thanks to Reggie Dance, Vice President of Consumer and Entertainment for 5W Public Relations. They did a great job getting the word out and hosting this wonderful event. Reggie by the way is originally from Patterson NJ. Good to see a Jersey guy doing so well!
Talk about excitement and anticipation! That was how I felt all the way to this wonderful event. I arrived in New York City around 2:30 PM and went to my favorite fish and chips location on 145th street and St. Nicholas Avenue. Double parked and ran in for a quick order to go. Yes this would be a full and very enjoyable day. I knew things would go well when the person behind the counter said he had not seem me in a while and gave me the order on the house lol. Figured I would retreat to my NYC apartment, but later decided to arrive early and take pictures before the crowd arrived. Look for the pictures soon.
Well the crowd was already arriving when I entered the side park area to eat my food. Young men were playing basketball on the play bars because the real baskets were in use. What a wonderful day it was watching all the young future ballers playing ball on a make shift court prior to the real action that would take place in 5 hours. This was another example of kids loving to play basketball. I could not help but wonder who of the group would one day play in the big Boost Mobile Game?
After a while Jon Cano, who is now a editor and producer for the NBA, arrived and sat with me. Jon is a huge HS basketball fan and we often attend games together. He also posts on various Internet boards. He is quite insightful and knows what he is talking about.
As we went to get on line to enter the park a few St. Benedict's players including Aaron Brown got on line behind us. He told me he was considering a bunch of schools including the Ivy's. That was impressive to say the least. Did not know he lives in Hackensack NJ.
Before we could get in, Ron Neclerio, the dynamic Cardoza Coach came up and thanked me for the kind words I wrote concerning him. He also was coaching one of the teams along with Kenny Anderson. Ron took me to the media area (trust me I am not the media lol) and folks actually knew about my blog. Especially the post about top HS coaches and AAU programs. Even Hoops Weiss came up and said he enjoyed reading the blog. They actually gave me media credentials lol. I proceeded to the media area and had a few red bulls, and spoke with everyone in sight. Let me describe the area: Great catered food, bottled water, red bull, and great conversation all in one place. I loved talking to various families. Most interesting was Maalik Wayns family members. Two extremely classy ladies who were dressed like they were business executives out for a nice day in the park. Easy to talk to and just pleasant. By the way, Villanova has a potentially GREAT PLAYER in Maalik!
Spoke with a few folks about the new hires at St. Johns. Everyone was raving about the hires including Hoops. It seems the consensus is SJU will have a great recruiting year, and a better season. After mingling for a while, we went into the park for the slam dunk contest. Let me describe the park.
If you have never been to Rucker Park, and you love basketball, it is a must on your places to go in NYC. Stands on three sides at least, with a real score board donated by Gov. David Patterson when he was a State Senator. The crowd is like a basketball version of Ameture Night at The Apollo. If you have game and effort you will be appreciated. If you come in there coasting and not prove you are worthy the crowd will ride you all evening, and might even start a chant of "take him out." The crowd this night was fantastic! They were in to every play and every player. However the dunk contest left alot to be desired. I would love to see Boost Mobile make future dunk contests open to area representatives with true dunking skills. have final two compete against Boost Mobile Representatives in a dunk off. It would be exciting watching a local kid from 116th Street dunking with his jeans on in the park against highly rated HS players.
Well the crowd still got into it for the dunk contest but nowhere like the actual game. Dexter Strickland won the contest with a great windmill type dunk over two kids. By the way Dexter Strickland = CLASSY and future leader with or without basketball.
The Game
What a game it was. The one player who kind of stood out to me was Ryan Kelly, a 6 ft 9 210 pound forward from North Carolina. Oddly he stood out to me because though he is a high major player, he looked almost lost on the court with the other players who were super quick and/or athletic and skilled. Not a real knock on him because this type of game is hard for big guys from system programs. But I had heard so much about him I might have looked for too much.
The other players as is the case with Kelly, were all big time recruits. But a few were a notch over the others. The best player on the court to me was not Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson.
The best player was John Wall, from Raleigh NC. What potential! What quickness! What passing ability! What dunking ability on people! He should have been in the dunk contest but might have lost because there was no one guarding the contestants. Guy is so good, even I could get 8 points playing with him lol. He just looked like the number 1 player in America.
Now the best player that day? Lance Stephenson. Loved when announcer said Lance was born in a defensive stance. Guy has all the tools and I did not see one bit of attitude or selfishness. I saw a complete player who will be a definite program changer. If he decides to attend SJU..... It's on!
Loved Maalik Wayns. Talk about game! Villanova get ready to beam up the next Scotty with a bit of Carl Lowery in him as well. He was a road runner in the game and made everyone around him better.
Dominic Cheek, as great as he is and as high as he is rated, is underrated based on what he brings to the table. He might be a tad under Lance, but this guy is BETTER THAN advertised. He played an exceptional game and looked poised and confident as he stared on the court.
Brandon Knight looked like a slimmer version of Paul Harris with the long braids and Miami look. And he was just as tough and got to the rim every time he tried. This kid will be a huge recruit for some program. Will Donovan let him out of Florida. Will Luke get him for Miami?
Derrick Favors from Atlanta was a man on the court. What are they feeding those southern kids? Guy was moving folks around with a smile on his face. Tough kid with skills. Might be a one and done guy as will Lance and John Wall.
Kenny Boynton Jr. has been a known name for many years because of the way he has hit big shots in games and scored at will. He is a exceptional player and showed flashes of this in the Boost Mobile Game.
Dexter Strickland might win the award as most classy person playing HS ball this season. Plus he can flat out play the game. You blink and he has 8. You blink again he now has 17. You blink again he steals the ball and dunks on you. Yet another blink and he hits the open man. He is such an efficient player! He seems ready for North Carolina and life afterwards. Senator Strickland? By the way he played exceptional well in the game as he always does.
Josh Smith was another player who just moved folks out if the way. A huge body with great athletic ability. Again I ask what are they feeding these kids.
The other local players had very good games as well. Durand Scott had a great game and proved he was one of the better players nationally. Deron Lamb was a late addition but showed he should have been chosen all along.Tristian Thompson from St. Benedict's looked better than I remembered. Heard he had a great summer and his play on Friday especially defensively proves it.
I could go on and on but much of the actual game stuff has been printed and shared. I will provide some additional information. Torral Harris and his son Tobias, who everyone is recruiting came and sat with Jon Cano and I for the game. Great kid who should have been in the game. He is wide open and looking at all his options. His Dad did ask my opinion on some things and I was honest. I will continue to be honest with him and many others who reach out to me. By the way Tobias will attend Long Island Lutheran this season and they will step up their schedule playing some national games. For now they are off to visit some schools before heading to the Syracuse Elite Camp later in the week.
Well the game was over and as I headed out of the park and out of my old neighborhood, all I could do is think of the many legends who had played at this historic park and left us in recent years. All of them must have been smiling because those young men did a great job of representing the name Rucker Park. Look below in other blogs for some good pictures including 90 year old John Isaacs of the original Harlem Rens.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Boost Mobile Elite 24
First off thanks to Reggie Dance, Vice President of Consumer and Entertainment for 5W Public Relations. They did a great job getting the word out and hosting this wonderful event. Reggie by the way is originally from Patterson NJ. Good to see a Jersey guy doing so well!
Talk about excitement and anticipation! That was how I felt all the way to this wonderful event. I arrived in New York City around 2:30 PM and went to my favorite fish and chips location on 145th street and St. Nicholas Avenue. Double parked and ran in for a quick order to go. Yes this would be a full and very enjoyable day. I knew things would go well when the person behind the counter said he had not seem me in a while and gave me the order on the house lol. Figured I would retreat to my NYC apartment, but later decided to arrive early and take pictures before the crowd arrived. Look for the pictures soon.
Well the crowd was already arriving when I entered the side park area to eat my food. Young men were playing basketball on the play bars because the real baskets were in use. What a wonderful day it was watching all the young future ballers playing ball on a make shift court prior to the real action that would take place in 5 hours. This was another example of kids loving to play basketball. I could not help but wonder who of the group would one day play in the big Boost Mobile Game?
After a while Jon Cano, who is now a editor and producer for the NBA, arrived and sat with me. Jon is a huge HS basketball fan and we often attend games together. He also posts on various Internet boards. He is quite insightful and knows what he is talking about.
As we went to get on line to enter the park a few St. Benedict's players including Aaron Brown got on line behind us. He told me he was considering a bunch of schools including the Ivy's. That was impressive to say the least. Did not know he lives in Hackensack NJ.
Before we could get in, Ron Neclerio, the dynamic Cardoza Coach came up and thanked me for the kind words I wrote concerning him. He also was coaching one of the teams along with Kenny Anderson. Ron took me to the media area (trust me I am not the media lol) and folks actually knew about my blog. Especially the post about top HS coaches and AAU programs. Even Hoops Weiss came up and said he enjoyed reading the blog. They actually gave me media credentials lol. I proceeded to the media area and had a few red bulls, and spoke with everyone in sight. Let me describe the area: Great catered food, bottled water, red bull, and great conversation all in one place. I loved talking to various families. Most interesting was Maalik Wayns family members. Two extremely classy ladies who were dressed like they were business executives out for a nice day in the park. Easy to talk to and just pleasant. By the way, Villanova has a potentially GREAT PLAYER in Maalik!
Spoke with a few folks about the new hires at St. Johns. Everyone was raving about the hires including Hoops. It seems the consensus is SJU will have a great recruiting year, and a better season. After mingling for a while, we went into the park for the slam dunk contest. Let me describe the park.
If you have never been to Rucker Park, and you love basketball, it is a must on your places to go in NYC. Stands on three sides at least, with a real score board donated by Gov. David Patterson when he was a State Senator. The crowd is like a basketball version of Ameture Night at The Apollo. If you have game and effort you will be appreciated. If you come in there coasting and not prove you are worthy the crowd will ride you all evening, and might even start a chant of "take him out." The crowd this night was fantastic! They were in to every play and every player. However the dunk contest left alot to be desired. I would love to see Boost Mobile make future dunk contests open to area representatives with true dunking skills. have final two compete against Boost Mobile Representatives in a dunk off. It would be exciting watching a local kid from 116th Street dunking with his jeans on in the park against highly rated HS players.
Well the crowd still got into it for the dunk contest but nowhere like the actual game. Dexter Strickland won the contest with a great windmill type dunk over two kids. By the way Dexter Strickland = CLASSY and future leader with or without basketball.
The Game
What a game it was. The one player who kind of stood out to me was Ryan Kelly, a 6 ft 9 210 pound forward from North Carolina. Oddly he stood out to me because though he is a high major player, he looked almost lost on the court with the other players who were super quick and/or athletic and skilled. Not a real knock on him because this type of game is hard for big guys from system programs. But I had heard so much about him I might have looked for too much.
The other players as is the case with Kelly, were all big time recruits. But a few were a notch over the others. The best player on the court to me was not Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson.
The best player was John Wall, from Raleigh NC. What potential! What quickness! What passing ability! What dunking ability on people! He should have been in the dunk contest but might have lost because there was no one guarding the contestants. Guy is so good, even I could get 8 points playing with him lol. He just looked like the number 1 player in America.
Now the best player that day? Lance Stephenson. Loved when announcer said Lance was born in a defensive stance. Guy has all the tools and I did not see one bit of attitude or selfishness. I saw a complete player who will be a definite program changer. If he decides to attend SJU..... It's on!
Loved Maalik Wayns. Talk about game! Villanova get ready to beam up the next Scotty with a bit of Carl Lowery in him as well. He was a road runner in the game and made everyone around him better.
Dominic Cheek, as great as he is and as high as he is rated, is underrated based on what he brings to the table. He might be a tad under Lance, but this guy is BETTER THAN advertised. He played an exceptional game and looked poised and confident as he stared on the court.
Brandon Knight looked like a slimmer version of Paul Harris with the long braids and Miami look. And he was just as tough and got to the rim every time he tried. This kid will be a huge recruit for some program. Will Donovan let him out of Florida. Will Luke get him for Miami?
Derrick Favors from Atlanta was a man on the court. What are they feeding those southern kids? Guy was moving folks around with a smile on his face. Tough kid with skills. Might be a one and done guy as will Lance and John Wall.
Kenny Boynton Jr. has been a known name for many years because of the way he has hit big shots in games and scored at will. He is a exceptional player and showed flashes of this in the Boost Mobile Game.
Dexter Strickland might win the award as most classy person playing HS ball this season. Plus he can flat out play the game. You blink and he has 8. You blink again he now has 17. You blink again he steals the ball and dunks on you. Yet another blink and he hits the open man. He is such an efficient player! He seems ready for North Carolina and life afterwards. Senator Strickland? By the way he played exceptional well in the game as he always does.
Josh Smith was another player who just moved folks out if the way. A huge body with great athletic ability. Again I ask what are they feeding these kids.
The other local players had very good games as well. Durand Scott had a great game and proved he was one of the better players nationally. Deron Lamb was a late addition but showed he should have been chosen all along.Tristian Thompson from St. Benedict's looked better than I remembered. Heard he had a great summer and his play on Friday especially defensively proves it.
I could go on and on but much of the actual game stuff has been printed and shared. I will provide some additional information. Torral Harris and his son Tobias, who everyone is recruiting came and sat with Jon Cano and I for the game. Great kid who should have been in the game. He is wide open and looking at all his options. His Dad did ask my opinion on some things and I was honest. I will continue to be honest with him and many others who reach out to me. By the way Tobias will attend Long Island Lutheran this season and they will step up their schedule playing some national games. For now they are off to visit some schools before heading to the Syracuse Elite Camp later in the week.
Well the game was over and as I headed out of the park and out of my old neighborhood, all I could do is think of the many legends who had played at this historic park and left us in recent years. All of them must have been smiling because those young men did a great job of representing the name Rucker Park.
Talk about excitement and anticipation! That was how I felt all the way to this wonderful event. I arrived in New York City around 2:30 PM and went to my favorite fish and chips location on 145th street and St. Nicholas Avenue. Double parked and ran in for a quick order to go. Yes this would be a full and very enjoyable day. I knew things would go well when the person behind the counter said he had not seem me in a while and gave me the order on the house lol. Figured I would retreat to my NYC apartment, but later decided to arrive early and take pictures before the crowd arrived. Look for the pictures soon.
Well the crowd was already arriving when I entered the side park area to eat my food. Young men were playing basketball on the play bars because the real baskets were in use. What a wonderful day it was watching all the young future ballers playing ball on a make shift court prior to the real action that would take place in 5 hours. This was another example of kids loving to play basketball. I could not help but wonder who of the group would one day play in the big Boost Mobile Game?
After a while Jon Cano, who is now a editor and producer for the NBA, arrived and sat with me. Jon is a huge HS basketball fan and we often attend games together. He also posts on various Internet boards. He is quite insightful and knows what he is talking about.
As we went to get on line to enter the park a few St. Benedict's players including Aaron Brown got on line behind us. He told me he was considering a bunch of schools including the Ivy's. That was impressive to say the least. Did not know he lives in Hackensack NJ.
Before we could get in, Ron Neclerio, the dynamic Cardoza Coach came up and thanked me for the kind words I wrote concerning him. He also was coaching one of the teams along with Kenny Anderson. Ron took me to the media area (trust me I am not the media lol) and folks actually knew about my blog. Especially the post about top HS coaches and AAU programs. Even Hoops Weiss came up and said he enjoyed reading the blog. They actually gave me media credentials lol. I proceeded to the media area and had a few red bulls, and spoke with everyone in sight. Let me describe the area: Great catered food, bottled water, red bull, and great conversation all in one place. I loved talking to various families. Most interesting was Maalik Wayns family members. Two extremely classy ladies who were dressed like they were business executives out for a nice day in the park. Easy to talk to and just pleasant. By the way, Villanova has a potentially GREAT PLAYER in Maalik!
Spoke with a few folks about the new hires at St. Johns. Everyone was raving about the hires including Hoops. It seems the consensus is SJU will have a great recruiting year, and a better season. After mingling for a while, we went into the park for the slam dunk contest. Let me describe the park.
If you have never been to Rucker Park, and you love basketball, it is a must on your places to go in NYC. Stands on three sides at least, with a real score board donated by Gov. David Patterson when he was a State Senator. The crowd is like a basketball version of Ameture Night at The Apollo. If you have game and effort you will be appreciated. If you come in there coasting and not prove you are worthy the crowd will ride you all evening, and might even start a chant of "take him out." The crowd this night was fantastic! They were in to every play and every player. However the dunk contest left alot to be desired. I would love to see Boost Mobile make future dunk contests open to area representatives with true dunking skills. have final two compete against Boost Mobile Representatives in a dunk off. It would be exciting watching a local kid from 116th Street dunking with his jeans on in the park against highly rated HS players.
Well the crowd still got into it for the dunk contest but nowhere like the actual game. Dexter Strickland won the contest with a great windmill type dunk over two kids. By the way Dexter Strickland = CLASSY and future leader with or without basketball.
The Game
What a game it was. The one player who kind of stood out to me was Ryan Kelly, a 6 ft 9 210 pound forward from North Carolina. Oddly he stood out to me because though he is a high major player, he looked almost lost on the court with the other players who were super quick and/or athletic and skilled. Not a real knock on him because this type of game is hard for big guys from system programs. But I had heard so much about him I might have looked for too much.
The other players as is the case with Kelly, were all big time recruits. But a few were a notch over the others. The best player on the court to me was not Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson.
The best player was John Wall, from Raleigh NC. What potential! What quickness! What passing ability! What dunking ability on people! He should have been in the dunk contest but might have lost because there was no one guarding the contestants. Guy is so good, even I could get 8 points playing with him lol. He just looked like the number 1 player in America.
Now the best player that day? Lance Stephenson. Loved when announcer said Lance was born in a defensive stance. Guy has all the tools and I did not see one bit of attitude or selfishness. I saw a complete player who will be a definite program changer. If he decides to attend SJU..... It's on!
Loved Maalik Wayns. Talk about game! Villanova get ready to beam up the next Scotty with a bit of Carl Lowery in him as well. He was a road runner in the game and made everyone around him better.
Dominic Cheek, as great as he is and as high as he is rated, is underrated based on what he brings to the table. He might be a tad under Lance, but this guy is BETTER THAN advertised. He played an exceptional game and looked poised and confident as he stared on the court.
Brandon Knight looked like a slimmer version of Paul Harris with the long braids and Miami look. And he was just as tough and got to the rim every time he tried. This kid will be a huge recruit for some program. Will Donovan let him out of Florida. Will Luke get him for Miami?
Derrick Favors from Atlanta was a man on the court. What are they feeding those southern kids? Guy was moving folks around with a smile on his face. Tough kid with skills. Might be a one and done guy as will Lance and John Wall.
Kenny Boynton Jr. has been a known name for many years because of the way he has hit big shots in games and scored at will. He is a exceptional player and showed flashes of this in the Boost Mobile Game.
Dexter Strickland might win the award as most classy person playing HS ball this season. Plus he can flat out play the game. You blink and he has 8. You blink again he now has 17. You blink again he steals the ball and dunks on you. Yet another blink and he hits the open man. He is such an efficient player! He seems ready for North Carolina and life afterwards. Senator Strickland? By the way he played exceptional well in the game as he always does.
Josh Smith was another player who just moved folks out if the way. A huge body with great athletic ability. Again I ask what are they feeding these kids.
The other local players had very good games as well. Durand Scott had a great game and proved he was one of the better players nationally. Deron Lamb was a late addition but showed he should have been chosen all along.Tristian Thompson from St. Benedict's looked better than I remembered. Heard he had a great summer and his play on Friday especially defensively proves it.
I could go on and on but much of the actual game stuff has been printed and shared. I will provide some additional information. Torral Harris and his son Tobias, who everyone is recruiting came and sat with Jon Cano and I for the game. Great kid who should have been in the game. He is wide open and looking at all his options. His Dad did ask my opinion on some things and I was honest. I will continue to be honest with him and many others who reach out to me. By the way Tobias will attend Long Island Lutheran this season and they will step up their schedule playing some national games. For now they are off to visit some schools before heading to the Syracuse Elite Camp later in the week.
Well the game was over and as I headed out of the park and out of my old neighborhood, all I could do is think of the many legends who had played at this historic park and left us in recent years. All of them must have been smiling because those young men did a great job of representing the name Rucker Park.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
What makes a College Player Great and More?
Questions always come up on what makes college players great. There are many answers given to this question but one will always stand out to me. Lets look at some of the usual answers:
Hard work. Yes this helps a player develop and become better. But it is not the main reason a player becomes good.
Dedication is another thing often mentioned. You must have more than just dedication.
Athleticism is a good one and very important in the way a person performs
Knowledge of the game always makes a person better
Ability to shoot the ball, or the rock as many say. Very important
Quickness helps performance
Toughness is a needed ingredient for good playing and performance
Ball handling always helps
Ability to catch the ball is always good, especially for big people who often have to handle passes from guards
All the things I have mentioned are essential ingredients in the making of a GREAT PLAYER. But now I am going to give you an ingredient that could determine if a person with all I mentioned will ever reach his or her potential. Without this ingredient 8 out of 10 players will not become the player they are projected to be. The ingredient is:
LOVE PLAYING BASKETBALL!
If you look at local players as well as those on the national level, most of the true great players loved playing basketball and did not play just to kill time. Michael Jordan was such a competitor he would play in the park in Wilmington North Caroline with almost anyone. Magic Johnson loved to play so much he came back to play multiple times despite not needing money. Larry Bird? Please! He just loved playing and wanted to play against the best all his life.
Young players are easily identified as future college and NBA players just by their attitude towards playing. I knew Ron Artist was going to be a very good player when he was 13 years old and was a horrible and somtimes dirty player. Every time I saw him in the Queensbridge Projects in Long Island City, he was on the basketball court. He just always wanted to play. I remember him wanting to play in older games when he was 16 and the guys playing were 20 and older. He was still below average but his mouth watered from his desire to get on the court and PLAY!
Ron had a friend named Reggie Jessie. Reggie was rated higher than Ron and was a very good HS Player. But unlike Ron he did not seem to love playing as much as he loved being around those who did. He was a more "Cool Guy." Reggie had a good career at St. Johns and I am sure he worked out etc. But I am not sure he loved the game like Ron, who to this day still plays in 3 or 4 summer tournaments in NYC as well as in his old neighborhood on occasion.
Lets look at Steve Nash. Not highly thought of coming out of Santa Clara University by way of Canada. I watched him on TV and thought he was OK. He loved playing and just got better and better because he PLAYED all the time. I would bet that if he is in NYC next week (He spends summers in NYC with his Actress Wife), he will be up at Fordham taking part in the run that happens every Monday and Wednesday with Jim Couch and The Dyckman Program.
Some players just have natural ability but most who become stars share the love for the game and the desire to play all the time. A recent Bounce magazine article (You folks need to read this publication because it is great) talked about various summer leagues across America. One in particular was a Washington DC league with no sponsors, just guys playing the game hard. When Gilbert Arenas arrived to play for the Wizards the first thing he did was jump in his rental car with sneakers in hand to play some ball in the park with any team that would have him. Needless to say this is why players such as he and Nash, both drafted as 2nd rounder's are NBA All Stars. They love playing. I can say the same thing about Quincy Douby. I watched him when he was growing up in Brooklyn. He had so many other guys on his Grady team that seemed to have more potential than him. I for one thought he was a good shooter but never dreamed he would become an NBA player. But he just played and played and got better and better. He just loved playing and competing which is why he might have been so hard on his teamates at Rutgers. He might have felt they should have the same desire and love for the game he had.
Before looking at local players I want to make a point about competing and desiring to get better. Those that take off time from playing always seem to under achieve. Still remember my son prior to going to a Big 10 school saying he needed to relax. needless to say he relaxed all of his freshmen season on the bench at the Big 10 school watching kids without his ability play over him because they loved to play and compete more than him. There are many other examples of this including some local players.
Kids should want to compete. They should want to play. I always tell HS and College kids they should be excited about the chance to play against the best. Many shy away from this because they do not want to hurt their reputations by being outplayed. But the person who wants to get better will be watering from the mouth just hoping to go against the best. They will seek the challenge head on and use the experience to their benefit. This was the case with Labron James vs Lenny Cooke years ago at ABCD Camp. Labron, from what I heard, could not sleep the night before because he was so excited about the opportunity to go against Lenny. Lenny was cool the night before not thinking about the matchup as he spoke with his people, if you know what I mean. Well we all know what happened. And if you are in Ohio in early September do not be surprised to see Labron on the court playing with old friends if he is in town because he loves playing.
One of the worst things ever is when Colleges have kids stay on campus all year and work on their game in air conditioned gyms with professional shooting guys, etc. A smart coach will use the film Rocky as an example of how to get better. Rocky went back to the "Hood" to prepare for his next fight after losing his previous bout. Kids get better in the sun, on the playgrounds, and by playing some 3 on 3. In 3 on 3 you have to develop a going to the basket game. And with 20 guys waiting to play you work hard to stay on the court.
Lets look at local players. Unfortunately many have that I am a Big East Player mentality already. Even a few I am close to. I have a friend named Evander Ford who works NBA guys out as well as trains younger players. He can not walk past a court in the city without stopping and teaching. I have seen him do in with kids as young as 10 years old. He loves the game. I watch my buddy Bobby Holford, a GREAT COACH, get on a plain to Florida to be the Assistant Coach to Donald Osbourne (future Great Coach) with a group of 12 year olds. This is a guy who was the National Junior College Coach of the Year 3 years ago. I watch Tiny Archibald, or is it now Dr. Tiny Archibald? I watch Tiny go into Fordham with Mr. Couch and work guys out FOR FREE. A Hall Of Fame guy working people out for free? A guy who led the NBA in scoring and assists working for free? Think Steve Nash is not listening. Well these guys mentioned love the game. Players who wish to reach their potential need to have the same fire and desire.
Locally I think there are a few who meet the fire and desire category. Jeremy Hazell loves to play. At least he did from what I remember. Eugene Harvey used to love the game. Not sure if he is too much of a star to still enjoy. I am sure Keon Lawrence loves to play and will at every opportunity. Mike Rosario seems to be in the same mold. Mike Davis also. I often say some kids have just too much meat in the refrigerator and are never hungry. That is the case with many who play local. JR Inman, Anthony Farmer, Anthony Mason Jr., and others are all very good players. But if they learned to love the game like it was a women, or a great burger, watch out!
Hard work. Yes this helps a player develop and become better. But it is not the main reason a player becomes good.
Dedication is another thing often mentioned. You must have more than just dedication.
Athleticism is a good one and very important in the way a person performs
Knowledge of the game always makes a person better
Ability to shoot the ball, or the rock as many say. Very important
Quickness helps performance
Toughness is a needed ingredient for good playing and performance
Ball handling always helps
Ability to catch the ball is always good, especially for big people who often have to handle passes from guards
All the things I have mentioned are essential ingredients in the making of a GREAT PLAYER. But now I am going to give you an ingredient that could determine if a person with all I mentioned will ever reach his or her potential. Without this ingredient 8 out of 10 players will not become the player they are projected to be. The ingredient is:
LOVE PLAYING BASKETBALL!
If you look at local players as well as those on the national level, most of the true great players loved playing basketball and did not play just to kill time. Michael Jordan was such a competitor he would play in the park in Wilmington North Caroline with almost anyone. Magic Johnson loved to play so much he came back to play multiple times despite not needing money. Larry Bird? Please! He just loved playing and wanted to play against the best all his life.
Young players are easily identified as future college and NBA players just by their attitude towards playing. I knew Ron Artist was going to be a very good player when he was 13 years old and was a horrible and somtimes dirty player. Every time I saw him in the Queensbridge Projects in Long Island City, he was on the basketball court. He just always wanted to play. I remember him wanting to play in older games when he was 16 and the guys playing were 20 and older. He was still below average but his mouth watered from his desire to get on the court and PLAY!
Ron had a friend named Reggie Jessie. Reggie was rated higher than Ron and was a very good HS Player. But unlike Ron he did not seem to love playing as much as he loved being around those who did. He was a more "Cool Guy." Reggie had a good career at St. Johns and I am sure he worked out etc. But I am not sure he loved the game like Ron, who to this day still plays in 3 or 4 summer tournaments in NYC as well as in his old neighborhood on occasion.
Lets look at Steve Nash. Not highly thought of coming out of Santa Clara University by way of Canada. I watched him on TV and thought he was OK. He loved playing and just got better and better because he PLAYED all the time. I would bet that if he is in NYC next week (He spends summers in NYC with his Actress Wife), he will be up at Fordham taking part in the run that happens every Monday and Wednesday with Jim Couch and The Dyckman Program.
Some players just have natural ability but most who become stars share the love for the game and the desire to play all the time. A recent Bounce magazine article (You folks need to read this publication because it is great) talked about various summer leagues across America. One in particular was a Washington DC league with no sponsors, just guys playing the game hard. When Gilbert Arenas arrived to play for the Wizards the first thing he did was jump in his rental car with sneakers in hand to play some ball in the park with any team that would have him. Needless to say this is why players such as he and Nash, both drafted as 2nd rounder's are NBA All Stars. They love playing. I can say the same thing about Quincy Douby. I watched him when he was growing up in Brooklyn. He had so many other guys on his Grady team that seemed to have more potential than him. I for one thought he was a good shooter but never dreamed he would become an NBA player. But he just played and played and got better and better. He just loved playing and competing which is why he might have been so hard on his teamates at Rutgers. He might have felt they should have the same desire and love for the game he had.
Before looking at local players I want to make a point about competing and desiring to get better. Those that take off time from playing always seem to under achieve. Still remember my son prior to going to a Big 10 school saying he needed to relax. needless to say he relaxed all of his freshmen season on the bench at the Big 10 school watching kids without his ability play over him because they loved to play and compete more than him. There are many other examples of this including some local players.
Kids should want to compete. They should want to play. I always tell HS and College kids they should be excited about the chance to play against the best. Many shy away from this because they do not want to hurt their reputations by being outplayed. But the person who wants to get better will be watering from the mouth just hoping to go against the best. They will seek the challenge head on and use the experience to their benefit. This was the case with Labron James vs Lenny Cooke years ago at ABCD Camp. Labron, from what I heard, could not sleep the night before because he was so excited about the opportunity to go against Lenny. Lenny was cool the night before not thinking about the matchup as he spoke with his people, if you know what I mean. Well we all know what happened. And if you are in Ohio in early September do not be surprised to see Labron on the court playing with old friends if he is in town because he loves playing.
One of the worst things ever is when Colleges have kids stay on campus all year and work on their game in air conditioned gyms with professional shooting guys, etc. A smart coach will use the film Rocky as an example of how to get better. Rocky went back to the "Hood" to prepare for his next fight after losing his previous bout. Kids get better in the sun, on the playgrounds, and by playing some 3 on 3. In 3 on 3 you have to develop a going to the basket game. And with 20 guys waiting to play you work hard to stay on the court.
Lets look at local players. Unfortunately many have that I am a Big East Player mentality already. Even a few I am close to. I have a friend named Evander Ford who works NBA guys out as well as trains younger players. He can not walk past a court in the city without stopping and teaching. I have seen him do in with kids as young as 10 years old. He loves the game. I watch my buddy Bobby Holford, a GREAT COACH, get on a plain to Florida to be the Assistant Coach to Donald Osbourne (future Great Coach) with a group of 12 year olds. This is a guy who was the National Junior College Coach of the Year 3 years ago. I watch Tiny Archibald, or is it now Dr. Tiny Archibald? I watch Tiny go into Fordham with Mr. Couch and work guys out FOR FREE. A Hall Of Fame guy working people out for free? A guy who led the NBA in scoring and assists working for free? Think Steve Nash is not listening. Well these guys mentioned love the game. Players who wish to reach their potential need to have the same fire and desire.
Locally I think there are a few who meet the fire and desire category. Jeremy Hazell loves to play. At least he did from what I remember. Eugene Harvey used to love the game. Not sure if he is too much of a star to still enjoy. I am sure Keon Lawrence loves to play and will at every opportunity. Mike Rosario seems to be in the same mold. Mike Davis also. I often say some kids have just too much meat in the refrigerator and are never hungry. That is the case with many who play local. JR Inman, Anthony Farmer, Anthony Mason Jr., and others are all very good players. But if they learned to love the game like it was a women, or a great burger, watch out!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Thoughts and Thoughts
Just some thoughts and observations.
Norm Roberts is right there with a number of great prospects. Oddly these are the type of players Lou C recruited years ago that made St. Johns the only legit big time program in the area.
So Oswald Cross and Kimani Young (who use to be Jones when I first met him years ago) might join the St. Johns Staff. My thoughts? If this happens WATCH OUT!!! Both these guys are great people, great teachers, great with kids, have great connections, and have a great chance of helping St. Johns make it back to where they were years ago. Trust me on this, those two guys are true winners and gentleman and role models. They get along with everyone!
I will not dignify what has been said about a person who might get a coaching job at one of the big three metro area schools. But what I will say is folks can be so mean and vicious. The person in question is outstanding and would help the school much more than the school would help him. Plus, people learn from mistakes and CAN become better people.
I wish folks only knew the back door stuff that takes place nationally with high profile colleges and high profile HS players. Talk about illegal? The payoffs at some places has been in the 6 figure range.
Saw a workout in a small town in Maryland a week or so ago. One player working out was a D1 college player. As he went through the drills with other college and high level HS kids, his college Assistant coach walked the side lines screaming at him. At the end the college Assistant took out his check book and wrote a check out to the guy running the workout. Maybe it was legal but it sure looked odd.
Lance Stephenson AKA born ready appears to have the world in his hand. Hope he does not drop it by mistake. Like the way his Dad says "We" are down to ------. I hope Lance is down to a number of schools and not letting his Dad tell him where to go. As a family they need to discuss but lance needs to decide. Unless he goes to Italy...... UMMMMMMMMM.
Bob McKillip is a great Coach and he was not about to take mess from Lance or anyone else. Think Rick Patino would have cut Lance? John Calipari? Bill Self? Bob knows Lance will not attend Davidson and even if he said he wanted to attend Bob might not be interested. I applaud him for not kissing up to Lance. But I still feel he is more comfortable with certain types of players on his roster. European players, African Players and American kids from "good Families." Players like Dell Curry's kid. Despite this he is a GREAT COACH and has been for a long time. Working at a wonderful place such as Davidson allows him to really enjoy his career. So cutting Lance Stephenson was a true no brainer.
The Rutgers intramural.....oops I mean Newark Star Ledger College Summer League is over and the winner was Rutgers. Hope it helps player development and provides good momentum heading into the 2008-2009 season.
Lots of transfer talk. Really hoped Costner would have transferred to Seton Hall. With the Keon Lawrence and Brandon Costner in the wings to go along with the talent on hand it would have been great basketball in the NYC/NJ area. Just think about it. Rutgers has some great additions who are impact college players, St. Johns is turning it around talent wise especially if they hire the two guys I wrote about earlier in this posting. and Seton Hall with what I think is underrated talent and some potentially great additions would make area hoops outstanding!
I really look forward to the Garden again selling out for St. Johns games. I look forward to 18,000 for SHU against RU at the Pru Center, and I look forward to seeing people camping out at the RAC for 3 days to get tickets for the Providence game because the other games are totally sold out. Its all possible.
Though I love the two potential hires at St. Johns. I cannot believe they are not considering Ron Necleario! That hire would make every kid a potential SJU player. I think Ron is now ready for a assistant job at a BE school.
Drove by SJU the other day. Seems Alumni Hall will have a great new look for the basketball season. My gut is the team will be better as well. I just hope the new arena will still sell those pretzels and hotdog's. Nothing fancy but real basketball based on what I remember. But again I have not watched St. Johns at Alumni hall since Mark Jackson played.
Summer is coming to an end. Looking forward to final week of 5 Star camp which hopefully will be held in NE Pa. near my home. Though me and everyone I know considered our kids Hoop Group Kids when they played, I enjoy watching the All Star game at 5 star. Last year was sort of down but hopefully this year will be better.
Did anyone know that Rob Kennedy and the Hoop group guys always looked out for disadvantaged kids from the inner city. Not basketball stars just inner city kids needing to get away. Many kids without funds have been able to attend their camps free because Rob has always been a caring good guy. Of course once a kid got to be 14or 15 with potential, he had to pay based on NCAA rules and regs. Just wanted to put that out. Most camps never give back!
Rutgers Fans. Get your tickets for the Delaware game ASAP. trust me. This game will be a sell out and the Bob Rocks. University of delaware is a GREAT SCHOOL with a great fan base when they have a good team. This season the team should be very good.
I have not had a conversation with Steve Keller in many years. No understanding why but I just want to thank him as well for all he has done for many kids, including my son, over the years. Guy has assisted and given advice to thousands. I still remember Brian Crawford introducing my 8th grade son to him and next thing I know he was on recruiting lists.
Bring back the WAR IN THE WOODS. Great Event!
This weekend is the Rucker (NYC) Championships. Lots of memories associated with this event. Think I will go to championship games Sunday. Lots of networking!
Norm Roberts is right there with a number of great prospects. Oddly these are the type of players Lou C recruited years ago that made St. Johns the only legit big time program in the area.
So Oswald Cross and Kimani Young (who use to be Jones when I first met him years ago) might join the St. Johns Staff. My thoughts? If this happens WATCH OUT!!! Both these guys are great people, great teachers, great with kids, have great connections, and have a great chance of helping St. Johns make it back to where they were years ago. Trust me on this, those two guys are true winners and gentleman and role models. They get along with everyone!
I will not dignify what has been said about a person who might get a coaching job at one of the big three metro area schools. But what I will say is folks can be so mean and vicious. The person in question is outstanding and would help the school much more than the school would help him. Plus, people learn from mistakes and CAN become better people.
I wish folks only knew the back door stuff that takes place nationally with high profile colleges and high profile HS players. Talk about illegal? The payoffs at some places has been in the 6 figure range.
Saw a workout in a small town in Maryland a week or so ago. One player working out was a D1 college player. As he went through the drills with other college and high level HS kids, his college Assistant coach walked the side lines screaming at him. At the end the college Assistant took out his check book and wrote a check out to the guy running the workout. Maybe it was legal but it sure looked odd.
Lance Stephenson AKA born ready appears to have the world in his hand. Hope he does not drop it by mistake. Like the way his Dad says "We" are down to ------. I hope Lance is down to a number of schools and not letting his Dad tell him where to go. As a family they need to discuss but lance needs to decide. Unless he goes to Italy...... UMMMMMMMMM.
Bob McKillip is a great Coach and he was not about to take mess from Lance or anyone else. Think Rick Patino would have cut Lance? John Calipari? Bill Self? Bob knows Lance will not attend Davidson and even if he said he wanted to attend Bob might not be interested. I applaud him for not kissing up to Lance. But I still feel he is more comfortable with certain types of players on his roster. European players, African Players and American kids from "good Families." Players like Dell Curry's kid. Despite this he is a GREAT COACH and has been for a long time. Working at a wonderful place such as Davidson allows him to really enjoy his career. So cutting Lance Stephenson was a true no brainer.
The Rutgers intramural.....oops I mean Newark Star Ledger College Summer League is over and the winner was Rutgers. Hope it helps player development and provides good momentum heading into the 2008-2009 season.
Lots of transfer talk. Really hoped Costner would have transferred to Seton Hall. With the Keon Lawrence and Brandon Costner in the wings to go along with the talent on hand it would have been great basketball in the NYC/NJ area. Just think about it. Rutgers has some great additions who are impact college players, St. Johns is turning it around talent wise especially if they hire the two guys I wrote about earlier in this posting. and Seton Hall with what I think is underrated talent and some potentially great additions would make area hoops outstanding!
I really look forward to the Garden again selling out for St. Johns games. I look forward to 18,000 for SHU against RU at the Pru Center, and I look forward to seeing people camping out at the RAC for 3 days to get tickets for the Providence game because the other games are totally sold out. Its all possible.
Though I love the two potential hires at St. Johns. I cannot believe they are not considering Ron Necleario! That hire would make every kid a potential SJU player. I think Ron is now ready for a assistant job at a BE school.
Drove by SJU the other day. Seems Alumni Hall will have a great new look for the basketball season. My gut is the team will be better as well. I just hope the new arena will still sell those pretzels and hotdog's. Nothing fancy but real basketball based on what I remember. But again I have not watched St. Johns at Alumni hall since Mark Jackson played.
Summer is coming to an end. Looking forward to final week of 5 Star camp which hopefully will be held in NE Pa. near my home. Though me and everyone I know considered our kids Hoop Group Kids when they played, I enjoy watching the All Star game at 5 star. Last year was sort of down but hopefully this year will be better.
Did anyone know that Rob Kennedy and the Hoop group guys always looked out for disadvantaged kids from the inner city. Not basketball stars just inner city kids needing to get away. Many kids without funds have been able to attend their camps free because Rob has always been a caring good guy. Of course once a kid got to be 14or 15 with potential, he had to pay based on NCAA rules and regs. Just wanted to put that out. Most camps never give back!
Rutgers Fans. Get your tickets for the Delaware game ASAP. trust me. This game will be a sell out and the Bob Rocks. University of delaware is a GREAT SCHOOL with a great fan base when they have a good team. This season the team should be very good.
I have not had a conversation with Steve Keller in many years. No understanding why but I just want to thank him as well for all he has done for many kids, including my son, over the years. Guy has assisted and given advice to thousands. I still remember Brian Crawford introducing my 8th grade son to him and next thing I know he was on recruiting lists.
Bring back the WAR IN THE WOODS. Great Event!
This weekend is the Rucker (NYC) Championships. Lots of memories associated with this event. Think I will go to championship games Sunday. Lots of networking!
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