Talent & Work Ethic Strong at Junior Elite
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
Much has been written about the decline of American basketball. The critics say the emphasis on excessive AAU play and to much time spent running up and down the floor and not enough spent improving your game has been talked about as the main reason that USA Basketball has fallen from the top of the international basketball summit. Time and time again the past five years or so, Team USA has been beaten by teams from other countries around the world.
As one of the leaders in the grass roots basketball scene the Hoop Group has run instructional camps for the past forty years. While more and more players have decided to spend their summer traveling the country to play in AAU events, the Hoop Group has always managed to flourish with their camps teaching fundamentals and providing exposure.
This year the Hoop Group ran their first Junior Elite Camp. 150 promising prospects grades 6-9 were in attendance working on their skills. The camp staff featured Division 1 Assistant Coaches coaching teams, running stations, sweatshops and giving lectures. If the talent and work ethic delivered this past week, is any indication the future of the game in this country looks strong.
Rhode Island University Assistant Coach Pat Skerry was on staff for this session and liked what he saw. Skerry comments: “I was really surprised by the talent level. For such young kids to be that good was impressive. Stations were really good. The kids worked hard. The kids were talented. The games were competitive, which the kids liked. Many of these kids will be playing for high profile high school programs and they got a taste of it.â€
Robert Morris University Assistant Coach Andy Toole was also on staff and offered these thoughts: “All the kids were very receptive to the coaching. The kids wanted to learn. As is frequently the case, the best players set the tone. They wanted to learn and the others followed suit. The majority of the kids were very skilled for their age. There was a lot of potential. A good number of the kids will be playing Division 1 ball. Speaking for myself, and I believe the other coaches on staff, I think the coaches had as much fun as the kids. Overall we had a lot of fun coaching this group.â€
Camp Director Lamar Barrett offered these thoughts: “The talent level was at a very high level. The work ethic of the kids was off the charts, which was somewhat of a pleasant surprise. The skill level of the kids was advanced for their age.â€
If the Junior Elite Camp is any indication, in the future, USA basketball may be back on top of the mountain.
All Star Game MVP Tyler Calvin is pictured with Steve Keller of the National Recruiting Report.
For more coverage on grass roots basketball and Eastern Invitational Camps go to http://www.njhoops.com