Monday, June 17, 2019

Why attend basketball camps?

Play College Basketball

Do you or someone you know want to play college basketball?  Playing college basketball is one of the most coveted opportunities in the world.  Set yourself apart and take some ownership of your recruiting journey.   
"During my time in Europe playing professionally, those younger kids would swarm me after every game and practice asking how can they play college basketball in America.  This was an eye opening experience for me to understand how truly blessed I was to do it.  So when I returned to the states and started coaching back in 2007, I would always tell players, you have to play at an elite level if you want to play in college because you are competing against players all over the world for a scholarship to play in college.  Appreciate the opportunity to get exposure to college coaches because there are kiddos in other countries who dream about being in your shoes."
 - Brenita Jackson

Why attend basketball camps?

This is an opportunity for players to experience a college level work out which typically includes hard skills and soft skills.  At camps on a college campus, players will meet the coaches of that college and some of their players.  This is a great opportunity to build relationships and put your skills to the test!  The coaches will give skill instruction and note any players that stick out to follow up on during the school year. This can start the recruiting process or drastically accelerate it if you have a good camp! 

Players may even get invited to attend a camp if a coach is interested in an athlete and wants to see them interact with other coaches and players.  They want to see who can apply information? Who can play at a high level within a system? Who will be a great asset to their program?  Summer basketball camps are a great way to build confidence for athletes who think they want to play college basketball.  There will be hard skills such as ball handling, shooting, passing, defending, rebounding and hopefully includes speed and agility work.  These skills should be developed year round through skills training.  Some middle schools & high schools are offering skills training during the summer as well as open gym and we highly recommend attending them as well!  

There are also skills trainers that you can pay to work with all throughout the country that you can sign up to work with.  (For a list of skills trainers in your area - please email info@kbjacademy.com with the subject line "Trainers."  These skills training sessions will position you as an athlete to perform better at camps. Our recommendation in regards to skills is to invest in training for at least 6 months, a couple times per week prior to attending a camp. If you attend a camp without skills training that is ok.  Listen to what the coaches are saying to you and take note of skills you may have struggled with so you can know how to proceed after camp with training and development.  Plan to attend the same camp again the next year and see if you make progress.  Are you able to actually do the drills and skills taught.  Did you perfect your craft?  These are measuring tools to help you build confidence and grow your game.  

Through the years of attending, working and directing basketball camps, we want to first give you some tips on how to maximize your college recruiting through basketball camps:

  1. Register as early as possible for the camp to ensure you get a spot.  Our summer camps used to sell out and we talk to college coaches every week that say they have to turn players away.  Don't wait!
  2. Arrive early!  Read the details of the camp and find out the registration time, plan your trip so that you get there early.  Remember this is a first impression to recruiters and you want to show your eagerness by arriving early, in a great mood and relaxed ready to ball.
  3. Be in shape.  There is nothing worse than seeing players out of shape at camp.  The player might have skill or talent, but when fatigue sets in, the players can't make the same moves and sometimes get hurt.
  4. Introduce yourself to every coach and staff member at the start of camp.  Afterwards, shake each staff member's hand and appreciate their time for pouring into your athlete. Nothing is worse than unappreciative, complaining players/parents and coaches are watching.  This respect for everyone on staff will be noted and discussed after camp.  
  5. Relax.  Have fun.  Play hard.  Be a great teammate and get to know other campers. ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE! Coaches want players that have energy and excitement about playing basketball. Check out this video about what college coaches are notice players:    
 
Video extracted from youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZvYusIdno


Do you want to play college basketball and want more resources on how to get there? Camps are one of many resources we know will help you get recruited.  Email info@kbjacademy.com for a list of camps coming up in your area. 

Kevin & Brenita Jackson