Teaching Basketball and Life

He also left with a dream.

Wouldn’t it be great, Collegiate’s varsity boys head coach and program leader wondered, if that clinic could come to Richmond? And wow! Wouldn’t the Jacobs Gym and athletic center be the perfect location?

Harris first had to do his due diligence. USA Basketball, after all, is big time. A non-profit based in Colorado Springs, it’s the governing body that oversees the Olympic teams, national teams, coaching academies for professional development, and a host of well-tuned clinics for athletes, both male and female, who are serious about the sport.

 

Its coaches teach basketball, sure, but not the all-too-familiar-these-days, roll-the-ball-out-and-let-‘em-play brand of basketball. They espouse fundamentals and teamwork. Importantly, they see as their mission promoting character development, self-discipline, purposeful living, and appropriate behavior both on the court and off.

 

In short order, Harris formulated a plan and approached USA Basketball. He also consulted with Collegiate’s athletic administration: AD Karen Doxey and associate AD’s Andrew Stanley and Will O’Brien. One thing led to another, and this weekend 80 boys ages 10-16 from Virginia (including about 25 from Collegiate), North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia will spend two very full, active days on campus, honing their skills under the guidance of well-trained, experienced coaches, each of whom holds a USA Basketball Gold License.

 

“Things worked out,” Harris said. “Everything USA Basketball stands for…Collegiate seemed like a perfect fit. They’re selective about where they go. We’re fortunate and humbled and excited.”

 

Don Showalter, the organization’s youth division director of coach development, will serve as camp director. An Iowa native, he was an ultra-successful high school coach in his home state and, during his association with USA Basketball, has led both U16 and U17 teams to multiple world championships.

 

“He’s accomplished, legendary, a first-class guy,” said Harris, who will serve as the lead coach. “He teaches the game the right way. It’s an honor for me to learn under him.”

 

Saturday and Sunday will include three-hour morning sessions for the assemblage of athletes who will be clad in red, white, and blue attire. After a lunch break, players return for four hours Saturday and 90 minutes Sunday.

 

What will campers, who represent a range of skill levels, learn?

 

“Just fundamentals of the game,” Harris said. “Triple threat. Playing without the basketball. Breaking down defenses off the ball. Defense on the ball. This is teaching, really homing in on the details, the fundamentals. It won’t be a lot of game-play, but 2-on-2, 3-on-3, breaking down drills. Station work. There will be some 5-on-5, but it won’t be just getting up and down the court.

 

“I heard this at a camp this year: ‘You can’t take advantage of what you don’t understand.’ My hope is for kids to understand more how to be a student of the game, to have fun with it. I think young people really want to learn the right way to play. Athleticism can only take you so far. Sooner or later, you have to be able to think, react, and understand.”

 

That’s all good and well, I said, but in many areas, basketball at the youth level is out of control. It’s an individual sport. Skills are secondary to Show Time. The subtle, obscure elements of the game are often lost. Fast-paced is fine but not at the expense of focus and purpose. It’s nowhere near the game that the purists love. Will the game ever return to its roots?

 

“Definitely,” Harris responded. “USA Basketball is in the lead trying to do that. I always tell kids that if you look at the best in the world, the Golden State Warriors, they’re great passers. They’re unselfish. Everybody’s shot-ready. That doesn’t mean I’m standing straight up. It means I have my hands out; my feet are prepared; I have good balance. This camp will harp on those little things. Hopefully, kids will go back to their high schools, middle schools, or AAU programs and continue to work on their skills.”

  -- Weldon Bradshaw