Hold’n Court: The HoopGroup Blogs

June 26, 2008 was a special night for many for some young basketball prodigies. 60 players, 49 from the United States were selected in the two rounds of the 2008 NBA Draft. For all of them this was the culmination of many year’s of hard work, training and working on developing their games. The Hoop Group congratulates all of them on fulfilling their dream.

13 of them, over 20% are Hoop Group alum, including two of the top three selections. Over the past three years over 40 Hoop Group alum heard the name called on Draft Night.

The Hoop Group alum who were selected in the 2008 NBA Draft:

2th Mike Beasley Kansas State Miami Heat

3rd OJ Mayo USC Minnesota Timberwolves

8th Joe Alexander West Virginia Milwaukee Bucks

12th Jason Thompson Rider Sacramento Kings

13th Brandon Rush Kansas Portland Trail Blazers

17th Roy Hibbert Georgetown Toronto Raptors

23rd Kostas Koufos Ohio State Utah Jazz

28th Donte Green Syracuse Memphis Grizzlies

42nd Sean Singletary Virginia Sacramento Kings

47th Bill Walker Kansas State Washington Wizards

56th Sasha Kaun Kansas Seattle Supersonics

57th James Gist Maryland San Antonio Spurs

59th Deron Washington Virginia Tech Detroit Pistons
Best wishes to all!

The last two days of Kevin Boyle Basketball Camp were just as intense as the first. With Coach Boyle leading skill development sessions and a guest lecture by former Villanova star Mike Nardi the campers were able to continue to expand their basketball knowledge. Coach continues to show us why he is considered one of the top basketball coaches (at any level) in the country.

Everyone got a hands on experience as the 2007 National High School Coach of the Year built offensive and defensive skills from the ground up in the same way he does for his own St. Patrick teams.

A few other highlights from the week included 38 players at the last early morning advanced skill development session. These are 7:15 AM optional workouts and almost half the camp came out to get better. This was a dedicated group of young men who came to camp ready to get better and walked away with an understanding of what it is going to take to get there.

Playoff Highlights: In the NBA (9th grade and up) the 7-1 Lakers lost in a tight first round game to the upstart Knicks. Down by 5 with under a minute to play West Catholic (Philadelphia) senior Matt Bush stepped up and hit a huge 3 and then followed that up with a steal and bucket in the lane. Allen HS senior Isaac Coronado knocked down two free throws to seal the win with 10 seconds left. In the other semifinal the Celtics continued their hot play as Academy of the New Church sophomore Nick Jones and MCS Charter freshman Shawn Williams carried their team to the final.

Props have to be given out to Allen HS Junior Ray Styles and Philadelphia native rising freshman Imire Taylor from the Lakers. Both played tough nosed basketball all week and proved why they will both be scholarship basketball players some day.

In the final the Knicks took it home as Zafir “Black Mamba” Williams (senior at Robert Vaux HS) was unstoppable with the ball in his hands and continually made play after play for his teammates. Nick Jones and Jared Butala (Hazleton HS junior) both had clean looks to tie it up in the last minute.

In the ACC (8th grade and below) Cody Dalziel (Wake Forest) and Caleb Knudsen (Maryland) led their teams to the title. These were two talented young men who played hard and smart all week long. In the end Wake came out on top giving coach Matt Shubert his 5th camp title in 2 summers. Shubert is quickly becoming the Phil Jackson of Hoop Group Skills Camp.

Wednesday night is one of the most fun times of camp as Hoop Group Skills Camp had the first All-Star games of the summer. The ACC game was a double overtime thriller that saw spectacular performances all around. Talented wing Torie Ferguson from Duke put on a show by scoring a variety of ways (including jumpers with both hands as Torie is completely ambidextrous). Down by 3 Ferguson hit a game tying three to send the game into overtime. Dalziel carried his team back in OT before the game was tied again to send it into double OT. Scott Ario knocked down a free throw to seal the win in a first team to 3 point double OT. Joey Krempa (4th grader from Coopersburg, PA) carried the winning team all game by getting into the lane at will to score and dish.

The NBA All-Star game featured a lot of talent but Styles stole the show.

Competition and Award Winners:

NBA:
Hot Shot Champion - Angel Vargas
Free Throw Champion - Kirby O’Connell
1 on 1 Champion - Shawn Williams
All-Star MVP - Ray Styles
MVP - Zafir Williams
Most Improved Player - Maxton Wales

ACC:
Hot Shot Champion - Cody Dalziel
Free Throw Champion - Cody Dalziel
1 on 1 Champion - Austin Bender
All-Star MVP - Joey Krempa
MVP - Cody Dalziel
Most Improved Player - Jason Renner

This was a great way to start off our summer of Hoop Group Skills Camp full week sessions. With high level instruction and competition we hope every week can live up to the tone Kevin Boyle Basketball Camp set. For more information on our other great weeks visit www.hoopgroup.com or call us at (570) 992-6343. We have two more great camps with Coach Boyle including a PG Skills Weekend July 18-20 and another full week Aug 18-22 that will feature the entire St. Patrick program being on hand. See you this summer!

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics as they once again sit on top of the basketball world. Their brilliant off-season moves, including bringing in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and teaming them with All Star Paul Pierce helped lead them to another long awaited championship. The Celtics commitment to team play and defense were two of the major factors in their 17th title. The team was not concerned with individual accolades only getting victories.

“Defense,” Coach Doc Rivers said was the first thing he told his team before the season. “We play defense, we’re going to win a World Championship, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Rivers made ubuntu, which roughly translates to “I am, because we are” in English, the Celtics’ team motto this season. And they sure lived by that creed.

The front office, coaches and player development staff also deserve high praise for this accomplishment. Special mention is given here to the Hoop Group alumni who are a part of this championship team:

Tom Thibodeau - Associate Head Coach

Dave Wohl - Assistant General Manager

Leo Papile - Assistant Executive Director of Basketball Operations

Armand Hill - Assistant Coach

Cliff Ray - Assistant Coach

Kevin Eastman - Assistant Coach

Michael Longabardi - Assistant Basketball Coach & Advance Scout Coordinator

Michael Crotty - Director of Player Development

Brian Scalabrine - Boston Celtic Forward

Congratulations to all!

The Hoop Group Skills Camp full week sessions are under way with Kevin Boyle Basketball Camp leading off. Great instruction from one of the best high school basketball coaches in the country is the highlight of the week. Coach Boyle’s active approach to coaching at camp makes the experience one of a kind as each camper is receiving the same coaching St. Patrick players do each and every day. Coach leads stations in the morning, lectures during the day and can even be found stopping games to make corrections and teaching points. His ability to also help coaches enhance their teaching adds to the quality of this week.

With 36 kids at the first day of advanced skill development (optional morning workout) and 24 on the second day, players are showing their commitment to do that little extra to improve their games. In these workouts players got to learn about penetration and movement on day 1 and first step and dribble moves on day 2. In this environment we are seeing players improve their games and learn the things they need to do going forward to continue to get better.

Some great early performances in games and skill development have been put in. Three guards are leading the way for the undefeated Lakers team in the NBA (High School League). Imire Taylor, Zafir Williams, and Ray Styles are displaying their talent.

Maxton Wales (rising sophomore at Gould Academy)has helped carry his team with great passing, hustle, energy, and a nack for finding buckets in the lane. Max is also showing his dedication by working extra hard in stations and extra skill development.

Kirby O’Connell is a true PG that is constantly getting his teammates into scoring position by distributing the ball and controlling the tempo of the game. Kirby is another guy that has stood out during the skill development.

We were happy to see how much Cal Cooper has developed his game. The rising sophomore from Pittsford, NY has showed his dedication to the game and his headsy play all week.

In the ACC (Middle School and lower league) Cody Dalziel, Caleb Knudsen, and Torie Ferguson have stood out as three of the more talented players.

Taije and Devante Cross, 8th grade brothers from Breinigsville, PA are working hard on their games, playing hard in games and showing their talent.

Noah Kandt and Joey Krempa are both smaller guards who are showing size can’t stop them. Both young guys have continuously pushed themselves to play against better players and add in more things to their games to improve.

Jason Renner is all over the court every game. Renner has been Mr. Hustle and the guy who every coach wants to have on their team. He has been impressive in both games and workouts.

Another brother duo showing their commitment to improving and standing out in games are Justin (9th grade) and Jordan Sears (7th grade).

Returning campers Griffin Walsh and Kevin Breslin keep improving and they both have long basketball careers ahead of them.

These were just a few of the standout performances by our players. The level of each guy at camp has been raised this week and our staff is seeing a high level of commitment from each guy to get better. Remember to check in Friday for a full recap of All Star games, competitions and playoffs, including the “Players to Watch” list.

If you missed out on this week of Kevin Boyle Basketball Camp it isn’t your last chance to learn from the 2007 National High School Coach of the Year. Coach Boyle is back July 18-20 for a PG Skills Weekend and August 18-22 for another full week with the entire St. Pat’s program.

Day 2 was much of the same offensively at Hoop Group Skills Camp Jr. Elite Weekend. This group of players proved on day one there was a ton of offensive talent on hand. We wanted to see who could step up defensively on day 2 so we challenged them to give the same effort on defense that we saw them give on offense. In turn everyone turned up their defensive game on day 2 to create more well balanced basketball games.

In the 8th and 9th grade league a few guys really stood out. Margate City native Mike Schugar helped ignite team 4 and their tremendous defense. Schugar is a high energy player on both ends of the court but his ability to play the passing lanes and guard one on one made him stand out. His ShoreShot AAU teammate Trevis Wyche turned up his level of play guarding the ball as well on day 2 as he made it tough for any PG to initiate offense.

Erik Frederickson (Cortland, NY) is tenacious down low. His rebounding and interior defense is what you look for in any forward. Matt Morini was all over the floor as his motor didn’t stop for 4 games all weekend. Players from the Bronx and Brooklyn have a reputation of being hard nosed and it showed on day 2. Armand Correa (Bronx) and Jeyson Jones (Brooklyn) both got after it. Each guy seemed to take defensive assignments personally and did everything to prevent their man from scoring. Tyler Plaska from Hazleton is a gritty player who never takes a possession off.

The younger kids showed their ability to defend as well led by day 1 station MVP Wolfie Novogratz. Wolfie plays low to the ground on defense and is extremely active on and off the ball. Drew Kakareka stepped up on day 2 and took his defensive game up a level. In a tight morning game Drew’s intensity and defensive prowess (along with a big 3)was the difference.

“Team MVP” member Tyrell Lightner dictated tempo to opposing guards and James Wright (MVP of the younger league) showed his athleticism and scoring ability aren’t his only talents. Elijah Cokely was another NYC guard who lived up to the city’s defensive reputation.

Our goal is to make players better on both ends of the court and making this group of high level younger players realize coaches want guys who don’t take defensive possessions off was a priority. Everyone responded and showed why they are Jr. Elite players.

Remember, if you missed out on this Jr. Elite Weekend you can’t afford to miss Hoop Group Skills Camp Jr. Elite Weekend II August 16-17. We hope to see you this summer!

Station MVP Day 2: Garrett Clifton - Garrett takes every opportunity to better his game and he showed that all weekend. He worked hard for all 2 hours of stations, never taking a drill off. Garrett was at early bird Sunday morning and you rarely saw him doing anything other than getting extra shots up during the free time of camp.

Our award winners from the weekend:
8th and 9th grade MVP - Nate Britt, lefty guard who dominated play even with an injured left hand has a bright future ahead if he continues to work hard
8th and 9th grade Most Improved - Erik Frederickson, kid who always plays and practices hard

7th and lower MVP - James Wright, led his team to a 4-0 weekend
7th and lower Most Improved - Wolfie Novogratz, day 1’s Station MVP took every chance to improve in early bird, extra workouts and in skill development.

Check out http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/pibc_JrElite.php for “Players to Watch” from each grade.

The Hoop Group Skills Camp at Pocono Invitational kicked off its 46th summer today with the Hoop Group Jr Elite Weekend I. The best young talent from the northeast came out for the two day event that includes games, skill development, lectures and a ton of basketball. The National Recruiting Report was on hand to evaluate the talent and there was a ton of it!

Some of the top performers from the 8th and 9th grade division included a pair of D.C. natives. Nate Britt showed why he is one of the top players in the class of ‘13. Britt showed off his ability to score with both hands and from all over the court. This versatile wing has a bright future ahead. The other D.C. player that separated himself was Justin Ramey, whose ability to go by defenders was apparent all day.

Riverside Hawks standout Skyler White put on a scoring display in the night game set. The 6′2 rising 8th grader, who is a right handed player, managed to still be nearly impossible to guard even with a bandaged up right hand. Darnell Simms and Kris Hargraves played hard nose basketball all day long, showing why Riverside is a tough team to beat. Simms was a load to handle around the basket and Hargraves made winning basketball plays all day long as he scored in transition and played tough hard nose D.

Travis Buckner from Hazleton created havoc with his energy and smart basketball plays. Jaquan Hickman (a rising 7th grader playing with older players) showed why he is one of the most talented young guards in NYC. The Abyssinian Church standout was as tough to guard for the older players as he is for kids his own age. Union, NJ was well represented as Marcus Carter scored in a variety of ways and Tre Bell made plays and ran his team like a true PG. NJ ShoreShot and Atlantic City native Gabriel Chandler had a great first day on both ends of the court.

In the 7th grade and younger division the talent didn’t drop off. The two youngest campers made two of the bigger impressions. Trevon Duvall and Tyreese Whitaker, two of the best rising 4th graders you will find anywhere, showed they can standout with players 2 and 3 years older than them on the court. Whitaker’s speed with the ball enabled him to create transition basket after transition basket and Duvall showed off his ability to break down his man one on one and score around the basket. They will play head to head tomorrow morning in a matchup of two of the best players in the class of ‘17!!!

Abyssinian Church’s Isiah Alvarez got banged up in the first game but that was about the only way anyone could handle the 7th grade post player all day. Team MVP’s Trey Lowe made play after play all day long with the ball in his hands. Young Mikey Dixon was impossible to stay in front of and Miles Stevens came out playing hard and with a purpose on day one.

Last but not least, our Station MVP on day 1 was Wolfie Novogratz. Hoop Group Skills Camp was built on teaching the game of basketball and Wolfie’s ability to be coachable and work hard on his game stood out. Each day there are multiple opportunities to improve your game (Skill Development Workouts, Advanced Skill Development Workouts in the morning and night) and Wolfie has taken every opportunity to do just that. To add to that, Wolfie showed why he is one of the toughest young guards in NYC as he did all the little things that don’t show up on a score sheet (play relentless defense, penetrate to create for teammates, hustle to loose balls). We all expect big things from Wolfie in the future.

Watching the games and skill development, this truly is a Jr Elite camp as every player showed some reason why they were invited. There were a lot more great performances on day 1 that aren’t mentioned here. Be sure to check back tomorrow to see who steps up their game on day 2.