To all sports fans tired of hearing about LeBron James' every last move in free agency, my advice would be enjoy these next three days. In Akron, Ohio, the LeBron James Nike Skills Academy (right) begins today, which has evolved to become an annual NBA showcase for both high school and college players from around the country. Clearly, any announcement from LeBron regarding his possible decision would turn attention away from the prospects, and I at least hope that the two-time NBA MVP's ego is not bigger than the future of the league. The camp itself is three days. With the greatest basketball minds on hand, such as Jay Bilas, the instruction is nothing less than top notch. The first day consists of basic drills, and for two hours respectively, the college players work out followed by the top 80 high school players in the nation. After days of constant travel, day one is designed to help acclimate the prospects for a tough week ahead.
The subsequent day is not nearly as easy. The first workouts are specialized, where players break up into groups based on position to better grasp certain techniques. Point guards, for example, will practice ball-handling, likely in pick-and-roll situations, while centers learn certain post moves. For the college players, they have the rest of the day to relax until a late night practice before an audience of NBA scouts. High schoolers, on the other hand, review proper floor-spacing and movement within a basic NBA offense and defense. The nuances of defending the pick-and-roll are again stressed. In short, day number two transitions from specialized drills to team workouts, showing evaluators how quickly a player can adapt to four different teammates.
Of course, because the camp is sponsored by Nike and LeBron James, it receives a ton of exposure. Therefore, interview sessions follow all morning workouts on both the second and third days to prepare basketball prospects for the constant clamoring of NBA media members. The camp stresses that one's behavior off the court is just as important as it is on the court.
The morning session on day three is divided between individual and team workouts. Players again break into groups for the first hour for positional instruction. The second hour, on the other hand, focuses on the definition of a team. Instructors demand both ball movement and sharing the basketball throughout the games, hoping to eliminate the notion in many players' minds that the NBA is completely 1 on 1. The college players' session is very similar, except, in the afternoon session, ten players play on a team together. The coach gives each player a number from 1 to 10, and five players substitute every couple of minutes. Thus, new teams are constantly on the floor. The games are designed to show evaluators how effective one can be when coming off the bench.
Thursday hits, and the camp is over. Many players will then travel to Cleveland, OH to play in the King City Classic. The camp, however, is finished, and LeBron can make his decision free from stealing anyone's spotlight. Just remember, the King City Classic was home to former Xavier University star Jordan Crawford's thunderous dunk over "King James" in 2009. For James, impending free agency might be a worthy excuse to avoid such embarrassment again this year.
-Daniel Radov
No comments:
Post a Comment