During this week I attended "MVP Basketball Camp" near White Plains. Everyday that week I had to wake up at 7:30 a.m. because the camp starts at 9:00 a.m. and White Plains is one hour away from my house. Although, I had to wake up early everyday, I have enjoyed the experience and learned a lot of valuable lessons. One thing I learned is that you have to work harder to be better at something, otherwise, your competitors will surpass you. The experience of playing basketball with people your own level is crucial for you to build up your confidence and be successful later on.
On the first day of camp, we started doing drills for the coaches to evaluate our basketball skills. I was surprised when I realized that most of 13-16 age group could shoot and dribble better than I could. Most of the campers were "veterans," which meant that they have attended the camp for many years. After the drills, the coaches started drafting players. I was upset that I was drafted 37th out of 40. However, I cheered up when I realized that I was assigned to the team that included most of my newly acquainted friends. Our team color was light blue and the team was named the "Brooklyn Nets." Everyone except us thought that our team would be last in the playoffs and that the red team would come in first because of a recent study that claimed that red teams win consistently more than blue teams do. However, we did not believe it and shrugged off on this "Red vs Blue" myth.
July 14, 2015 was a great day! The camp started out normal, but the warm-ups got substantially harder. After that, we played a game with the "Toronto Raptors," the purple team. This was my first organized full court game in half a year so I was a little bit rusty. On top of that, I haven't gotten used to the height of their hoop yet. However, I still contributed to the team by getting rebounds and blocking shots. Our Nets ended up beating the Raptors.
In the afternoon, we were told that a "speaker" was coming to the camp. Later on, we learned that the speaker's name was Wesley Matthews Sr. He was a retired NBA basketball player and played for the Los Angeles Lakers with Magic Johnson during the 90's. His son Wesley Matthews currently plays in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks. One thing I remembered he stated is that he followed a certain philosophy on playing basketball. He believes that rather than focusing on your points, you should focus on how many baskets you make in. This is because each basket is worth two points. His coach would tell him before a game to score two baskets (four points) then ask him to attempt to score three baskets (six points) and so on. The method was so effective that he scored an average of forty points a game during his college days!
Seeing an NBA player in real life amazed me because I got a chance to learn from an NBA player.
On Wednesday, another "speaker" came to talk to our camp. However, he was more of an entertainer. The entertainer went by the nickname "The Blenda." The Blenda was regarded as the best ball handler in the whole country. He taught the Globetrotters all his cool tricks. The Blenda could spin the basketball on top of anything. He spun it on everyday items such as vases, pens, milk cartons, footballs, and even on another basketball! However, due to his average height, he wasn't tall enough to play in the NBA. Because he couldn't play in the NBA, he instead became an entertainer. He also gave away items such as Globetrotter basketballs, posters, shirts, hats, and even a pair of shoes to those who participate in his activities. An example of an activity is a game by the name of "Catch". In Catch, the goal is to catch the ball that the Blenda throws at you. The objective seems easy but due to the Blenda's supurb passing skills, he would often fake passes or pass in an unusual way, which can prove to be quite a challenge if you aren't vigilant or prepared. If you fail to catch the ball, you are out.
There was only one day before the finals on Friday! This meant that the teams had to be ranked from "best to worst." There are four teams. They are the Nets (light blue), the Raptors (purple), the Knicks (orange), and the Cavs (red). We spent the whole day playing three games. Out of the three games, we won two and lost to the Knicks. I contributed a lot during those three games. In the first and second game, I scored four points and acquired a couple steals. However, on the third game against the Raptors, I scored a good eight points. Because this is just a summer camp and not the NBA, the top scorer scored about ten points, which meant that I scored only one basket less than the top scorer. My team came in the first seat! After us came the Knicks, then the Cavs, and in the last seat, the Raptors. My team had the highest win to loss ratio during the whole week which is why we were in the first seat.
It's Friday, which means that it is time for the Finals! To prepare for the finals, we played a round of "moneyball." In moneyball, the whole camp (roughly 160 people) would be split into twenty teams. The teams would compete across ten different basket. One of the baskets is titled the "money basket." Any victories in the money basket gave the teams a point. To get a victory, your teams must score more foul shots than the opponents team in thirty seconds. The winners move closer to the money basket while the losers stay.
For the finals, our first matchup was us Nets versus the Raptors. The winner would proceed to the Championship round. We completely demolished the Raptors and beat them by about six points. The Nets moved up to the Championship round! While that game was going on, the Knicks and the Cavs were playing their game.The Knicks emerged victorious, which meant that we had to play them. Now this is getting intense! The game was close but we beat the Knicks by four points! Out of those points, I scored four. We were officially the 2015 MVP Basketball Camp Champions! Our whole team were awarded with the first place trophy and a medallion. Along with that, we received our report cards and a MVP Camp backpack.
In the report card, it stated that I was excellent at everything, except my ball handling, dribbling and rebounded which is considered "good". The coach also commented that I was the best hustler on the team, and exhibited strong mental toughness. MVP camp has been a blast! I cannot wait for July 27th which is the next time I will go.
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