The intensity has continued this afternoon as the drills have continued to progress into more one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three situations that let the kids "play" with the skills they've been working on. For most unfortunatley when they go five-on-five it constitutes reverting to what is confortable or habit instead of looking to apply the new skills in a game atmosphere. To me that's simply losing focus on what the objective of the camp is, but it is also human nature.
I don't know how many of the kids recognize myself or Mike Flynn as we are the two people here doing player evaluations for ranking purposes but personally I'm looking for the kids that are taking the risk of failure to use what is being taught. Chelsea Gray was one kid that I saw try and fail at the two-foot jumpstop and floater over a defender instead of powering by them or forcing something up lower percentage. The drills for some progress to near game speed but for new skills it is a progression so going game speed allows them to attempt the skill and get immediate feedback.
Layshia Clarendon works on her handle with
a tennis ball and a basketball.
Gennifer Brandon continues to impress and the girls have decided to call her the "New Nneka" with her leaping ability and shot blocking. She sure is fun to watch play.
Talia Caldwell and Monique Oliver mixed it up in the evening session as well, taking turns knocking each other to the ground. I told Mo it was good for her as the higher the level of play the more physical the game is. She got knocked to the ground, got up and my guess is she won't let it happen again. It forces her to elevate her game and all the kids are forced to elevate their games. One more session tomorrow will wrap things up from Orange County. I must say some of the "coaching" from some parents as the kids play is nerve-wracking. I wish some of the parents would take the lead from Talia Caldwell's mother, Teal; she encourages everyone and I haven't caught her coaching from the baseline either. It is great to see so many parents here supporting the kids I just hope they too can embrace the learning aspect of this as well as the level of competition. Your weaknesses are supposed to be exposed and you're supposed to make mistakes trying new things. The drills are competitive but this is not a competition, it's a chance to learn. I apologize if this update is a little soapbox-ish but this is a great opportunity and I hope the players all get the most out of it. I likely won't have time to blog after tomorrow morning's session but should have a report up Monday for everyone with photos and the like.