How to be a good basketball player in high school

6 Ways to be a Top High School Basketball Player

Basketball Tip

NBC Basketball Camps trains thousands of high school athletes each year. Here are six ways you can become a top high school basketball player.

1. Be willing to work hard. Can you define hard work? For a top level high school and college coach, here is what hard work means. Your attitude and demeanor on the courts needs to be intense, focused, aggressive and no-nonsense. Your play should include taking charges, diving on the floor for loose balls, running the floor, constant "in your face" pressure on the ball when defending, strong attack moves to the hoop which are effective. Effective=ends with a basket.

2. Be powerful. Great players are not pushed around. They dictate the tempo, intensity, rhythm of the game. You decide where you want to go or not go on offense, not your opponent. On defense, you decide where your opponent goes. You disrupt his or her game. Learn to use your body to impose your WILL both offensively and defensively.

3. Be smart and understand the system. Every coach has a system and philosophy to be successful. You need to know what he or she wants. Some teams require a point guard to have no more than 3 turnovers a game. If you take too many risks on that team as a point guard you are going to sit down. Know what the coach values. Does he or she value conservative play? Does he or she want run and gun? See the big picture and learn how to play within this system.

4. Be strong, fast and quick. These are the separators between high school athletes who will go on to the college level. One of our alum campers playing in the NBA is an amazing athlete a premier shooter, but he is getting beat on defense because his foot speed is too slow to stop a player one-on-one and even though he is 6'7" he is not strong enough in the post. We want him to do well and encourage him to work on his strength and speed, to get a program and work it hard.

Be sure to meet with a physical therapist as well as a trainer because you need to know what you must do to prevent injury. Live in the weight room during the off-season.

5. Be humble and lead by example. Care about the team by being selfless and not concerned about your name in the paper. Do the little things well, serve others and you will be blessed.

6. Find the separators. God has given each of us natural abilities. A girl who is 6'3" as a sophomore, really quick, long and strong may not have good skills but she will get letters from Division 1 programs. Coaches recruit body types. If you genetically do not have a Division 1 build, you have a much harder road. You have to rise above the multitude of athletes who all have the same dream. You have to find the separators: speed, strength, wisdom, leadership, shooting, passing, impeccable skills, and the WILL to work harder than your competition.

NBC Basketball is a program designed to help you become your best on and off the court. Advanced High School Camp training options through NBC Camps: Boys College-Prep Basketball Camp attracting Division 1 prospects from around the world, for Girls NBC Camps has HS Girls Advanced Campin Spokane, WA, and Boys and Girls Total Basketball Camp, intensive college prep training north of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

NBC Basketball Camps is a proud affiliate of the US Sports Nike Camps network. For more information about NBC Basketball Camps visit www.nbccamps.com.

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How can a high school student become a successful basketball player?

I was motivated to write this material by what I see now in children’s sports, namely the problems parents face. Therefore, I construct the article format as a quick guide for parents who have decided to make an athlete out of their favorite child.

Most parents, giving their child to a sports club, reason as follows: let him run, he likes it – and it’s good, the child has to spend his energy somewhere if only he didn’t sit at home in his gadgets. All these thoughts are logical, but parents miss the main point. When we send our child to a sports school, we form a new society around him – a coach, players, friends, a team. All this gradually enters a child’s life and becomes an integral part of it. He begins to form a competitive spirit, the desire to achieve results, perseverance, and hard work. Many people, without realizing it, easily destroy the basics of childhood education, thinking that all this entertainment, comparable to a trip to the mall. Children begin to feel responsible and involved, defending the honor – first the team, then the sports school, their city, and their country. 

Form a Goal

What do you and your child come to sports school for? To become a professional athlete, to make your child physically developed, to learn to play basketball like Dad, to spend your free time in a meaningful way. Everyone’s goals may be different, but your child needs to know what it is for or what it is for.

The first two years of practice will be fun, then the work begins. At first, most of the training will be in the form of games and competitions. Sports training is much like high school and basketball also has its curriculum-it that starts with 2+2=4 and goes all the way up to higher math. Very soon begins serious and sometimes hard work, both in terms of physical exertion, as well as mental and psychological. Therefore, the child must understand exactly what will be the reward for his work. Motivation can be material (medals, new sneakers, bicycle, etc.) and intangible (recognition of achievements, praise, a trip to the sea, a trip to the water park with friends, etc.). 

Because of constant training and competition, a student may not have enough time to study. Therefore, the question may arise, “Can I pay someone to write my paper to keep my grades up?” You can order any assignment from a professional writer at a trusted service. You don’t have to worry about your grade if you ask them for help.

Sport needs money

Prepare for the fact that over time, your sports budget will change in the direction of increasing costs. Equipment trips to competitions and training camps, injury treatment and sports nutrition, and many other costs will fall on your parents’ wallets.

Get ready for the competition

Competition is what awaits our children in the fight for a spot on the team. Many people, seeing the high level of skill in other players in their children, mistake this for their child’s lack of ability and talent. It is a mistake! Kids with great skills are different from beginners in large part because they have just been practicing longer. If your child doesn’t make the roster for a competition, that’s no reason to give up on the class. Work hard, train hard, work hard! This is the only way to get into the top 12. Team composition will change all the time, the strong will push out the weak. Ups and downs will be inevitable for everyone. Be proactive! Often, sports schools, at the initiative of parents, create a second team of reserve players, and children begin to fight to get into it. The main thing is that the competition should be healthy! 

Sports are bad for your health

This statement is true! But on one condition: if you do not take care of it, the child’s health. So be prepared for the fact that you will need knowledge in the field of sports medicine, physiology, anatomy of sports nutrition, and other near-sports sciences. No doctor from the clinic will tell you how to recover from workouts, what exercises are needed to strengthen the joints, how to reduce shock loads on the spine, etc. This does not mean that you need to become a medical luminary, but a minimum set of knowledge should. Fortunately, in our time there is the Internet and kind people. Well, and experts in the field, of course, there are, but their services will not be free. Once again make a cardiogram, and blood chemistry, and going to the orthopedist does not hurt. 

Sports will change your life

Prepare for the fact that over time you will have to give up many of your favorite activities and pastimes. All tournaments, competitions, and friendly games mostly take place on weekends. So eventually you’ll have to forget about kebabs, trips to the cottage, bathing, hunting, fishing, and more. In addition, there will be less time to study. Therefore, if you have difficulties, get help from the reddit essay writing service, where you will get expert assistance.

“Sorry! You’re no good for us!” Any parent can hear these words. And it is very difficult to hold back emotions and not go offended in such cases. It is important to understand the essence of these words, so be sure to ask the question: Why? What is the reason for the rejection? What to do in order not to get rejected by another sports school? Physical data, conflict behavior, violation of discipline, lack of interest – all these and many other factors can affect the coach’s decision. There is no need to take this as a verdict or a severe diagnosis. You can solve all of these problems. The child can be successful in another sport that is more suitable for a child. Each of the subjects of sports education – a parent, a coach, and a child – is a vector that has its direction. When these three vectors are parallel and move in one direction – this is the way to success. If these vectors become multidirectional, then we get a conflict of interest. This situation requires attention, an objective assessment, the search for compromises, and sometimes a change of subject. In my opinion, the key vector here should be the child, his health, his upbringing, and his future. If after reading this you still haven’t decided to give up on children’s sports, then let’s move on. 

Coaches mostly use two criteria to evaluate an athlete – professionalism and dedication. The term professionalism has many definitions. In our case, the following is appropriate: Professionalism is a high degree of preparedness to perform athletic training tasks. The professionalism of a sportsman is manifested in a systematic improvement of qualification, creative activity, and the constant formation of new skills. The second criterion is dedication. It is a quality of a personality, manifested in activity by the maximum application of efforts, knowledge, skills, and mental strength. I call it: Work to the max! It is a commitment that is the foundation upon which professionalism is built! Agree that you can score goals from the center of the field, but if a player does not fight for the ball, does not fight in defense, does not run to attack, does not fall for the ball in touch – what a penny is worth! And if you want your little athlete to be successful, the main thing that you and he must work on – is dedication! Without it, developing professional skills is a waste of time. Coaches often refer to dedication as a fighting spirit. And this quality should be brought up in a child, it will come in handy later in life when the children grow up and have to overcome the difficulties of life.

Go get an education, it's too late for you to become a basketball player - The Jay's - Blogs

NBA players who started playing basketball very late

We all know basketball players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan. They played basketball all their lives, they were talked about even during their school years and no one was surprised by the fact that sooner or later they would get into the world's major basketball league.

But what about the players who first picked up an orange ball, not at age three, but in high school, or worse, college? What chances do they have to achieve at least some success in the basketball field, and do they exist at all?

Everyone has a chance. This is the beauty of basketball. Today we will talk about athletes who got acquainted with basketball much later than most players.

Joel Embid

When began: 2011 (15 years)

Statistics for career: 22.8 + 9.9 + 2.8 + 2.0 (Glasses \ Transfer \ Blocks) 9000

Achievements: All-Rookie First Team, All-Star, NCAA Defensive Player of the Year.

Process already looks like the top 3 center in the entire league. In today's NBA, if you're a center and you don't have a good and consistent shot, you're in for the fate of Hassan Whiteside. Old-school centers are no longer interesting to anyone, their actions are predictable, there is no threat from them on the arc, therefore this gives more freedom to the defending team. And that's why players like Anthony Davis, Karl Towns, DeMarcus Cousins ​​and Joel Embiid sat down on the "basketball Olympus".

But if in the case of the first three centers, the ascent took 15-20 years, then Embiid needed only 7.

Initially, "The Process" wanted to become a volleyball player and try his hand at the European Championships. But when the young Embiid was 15 years old, he picked up a basketball for the first time and began to copy Hakim Olajuwon's style of play. Joel liked the game so much that in the same year he went to a basketball camp organized by Luc Mba a Mute in Cameroon.

As a result of this camp, Luke was so impressed with Embiid's game and potential that he invites him to try himself in America.

Joel Embiid moves to the USA at the age of 16 and decides to become a professional basketball player.

In the states, the "Process" continued to progress and ended up in one of the best student organizations - Kansas. In his only college season, Embiid scored something like 11+8, entered the top 30 students and entered the draft with a back injury.

At first, Joel did not work out in the NBA, just because of the unfortunate injury, and for the first two years he almost completely lay in the infirmary. But after the recovery and after the last season, we see a top center, who is undoubtedly far from his peak and will continue to progress.

Dennis Rodman

When began: 1983 (21 years old)

Statistics for career: 7.3 + 13.1 + 1.8 + 0.6

Achievements: Member of the Glory Hall, 5-fold champion NBA, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-Star, 7-time defensive top five.

The best rebounder in basketball history, ready to rip opponents' elbows out with the ball, only got to know basketball in high school. And it is very difficult to call this acquaintance the beginning of his basketball career. Rodman, a model of his school years, did not really know how to dribble, and his shots from under the basket left much to be desired, not to mention the shots from the middle. As a result, throughout his school career, Rodman sat on the bench. Also, young Dennis tried to get into the school football team, but failed there too.

Of course, after such a school "performance", no college offered Rodman an athletic scholarship. As a result, Dennis graduates from high school and goes to work as a janitor at the local airport. And just at that time, the young player has a so-called "growth spurt" and decides to try his hand at basketball again, despite the fact that he did not feel very comfortable in his new two-meter body.

A family friend of the Rodmans, got a position as head coach at a small college in Texas, and offered the young Dennis a scholarship. As a result of his first and only semester (Rodman was expelled for poor progress), the young player scores 17 + 13! Agree, very good numbers for a player who a couple of years ago could not get out from under the basket.

The most interesting thing is that during high school, Dennis was only 170 cm tall. But by the time he went to college at 21, Rodman was already 204 cm tall! It's amazing how he has grown so much in just 4 years.

After his first undergraduate performance failure, Rodman was given a second chance at an Oklahoma college whose team was NAIA. There he spends three fruitful years, gaining 25 + 15, becomes the leader in rebounds and gets into the 19th draft.86, where he was drafted 3rd overall by the Detroit Pistons in the second round.

Everything that happened next is history. Dennis went from a calm and reserved player who did his job in the Pistons, like other "bad guys", into an outrageous, media player.

But it is worth noting that this did not affect his game in any way. Rodman became the best defensive player of the championship 2 times, got into the top five defensively 7 times and became the best rebounder 7 times in a row. Well, it’s not worth talking about his five championships, everyone already knows about it.

Interesting fact: Father Dennis Rodman has 48 children.

Another interesting fact: Dennis Rodman is the oldest of them.

Moving on.

Khakim Potzhavon

When I started: 1979 (16 years old)

Statistics for career: 21.8 + 11.1 + 2.5 + 3.1

Achievements for Career: Member of the Glory Hall, 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 1x NBA Champion, 1x NBA MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, one of the top 50 basketball players of all time.

The Dream, until the age of 16 he was exclusively fond of football and handball. And it was a football career that helped Hakim with footwork and body balance in the future.

At the age of 16, the two-meter Olajuwon is invited to take part in a basketball tournament (despite the fact that Hakim has never played it). There, a basketball coach notices him and informs Hakim's parents that their son may have a good career, but in Nigeria he will remain only budding. Hakim begins to train hard with his coach in order to achieve something in professional sports. Here's what he said about basketball:

Basketball is something unique. When I took the ball in my hands, I immediately knew that this is what I want to do all my life, you know? After that moment, any other sports lost their meaning for me.

As a result of all this, the parents of a young basketball player send him to America, where Houston College was waiting for him to watch. Hakim impressed coach Guy Lewis with his game and he accepted the young player into the squad.

Season 1980/1981 Olajuwon missed out because he was still too young to play in the NCAA (17 years old). But over the course of the next three years in college, Hakim screwed up and showed the entire student league who's boss in the paint!

He becomes the Final Four MVP, also earns the NCAA Southwest Conference MVP, and the Rockets begin to fold the 1983/1984 season to take Hakim with the first pick in the upcoming draft.

If you are reading this and think that Hakim was very good, you are right. But do not forget that The Dream achieved all this in 5 years from the moment of his first basketball game!

What happened next - you yourself know everything again. Hakim became one of the best centers in the history of basketball, an innovator and creator of new offensive techniques in the paint. Seriously, show me one player in the history of basketball that has played better than Hakim in the post?

Olajuwon led his hometown of Houston twice to the championship, became the most valuable player in one of the finals, the most valuable player in the league and was twice recognized as the best defensive player. Great career, great player!

Mutombo

When I started: 1984 (17 years old)

Statistics for career: 9.8 + 10.3 + 2.0 + 2.8

Achievements: member of the Glory Hall, 8-time All-Star, 4-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time rebounding leader, 3-time block shot leader.

Another African who started playing basketball very late.

Until the age of 17, Dikembe "not in my house" Mutombo was fond of football only and did not see himself anywhere except on a wide lawn (or sandy wasteland) with goals along the edges. So his youth passed, if not for his older brother, who invited him to play basketball.

Basketball meets Dikembe in style. In the first game, Mutombo cracks his chin and tells his brother that he will never play this "stupid game" again.

But still, after a couple of weeks, the brother again persuades Dikembe to play. And from that moment began the basketball adventure of one of the best defensive players in the league. Mutombo started playing in the African League and achieved excellent results. A vivid confirmation of this is a sports scholarship from Georgetown.

Mutombo enters the NCAA at the age of 21 and immediately shows great results. In his very first season, Dikembe manages to make 12 blocks in ONE game! And in general, the period 1988-1990 was one of the best in history for Georgetown. Under the ring, along with Dikembe, was another future member of the hall of fame - Alonzo Morning. Their bunch was even nicknamed "Rejection Row".

College career can be called successful. Mutombo was named to the NCAA East Division First Team as well as the All NCAA Third Team, and was selected with the 4th pick in the 19 draft91, aged.. 25 years old.

But even with such a late start, Mutombo had a long and fruitful career, spending as many as 18 seasons in the league!

He achieved everything, almost everything. Dikembe never received the coveted ring, but few would say that his career was not a success.

Throughout his career, the Congolese basketball player has demonstrated high professionalism, quality defense and incredible block shots. Mutombo was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year four times, was elected to the league's All-Stars three times, and took part in the All-Star game eight times.

Tim Dancan

When I started: 1991 (15 years)

Statistics for careers: 19. 0 + 10.8 + 2.2

Tim Duncan is the best basketball player of the 2000s and possibly the greatest basketball player of the 21st century. Try to convince me of this as much as you like, but such a stable, unselfish and simply excellent player is very difficult to find. Duncan is a hard worker who does an enormous amount of work from game to game, from season to season, without requiring any attention and encouragement from the basketball community.

But it all started in the Virgin Islands, when young Tim, looking at his sister Trisha, who was a swimmer, wanted to follow in her footsteps. Duncan trained hard every day and dreamed of taking part in the Olympic Games - 1992.

But his dream was not destined to come true. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo swept through the Caribbean and caused damage to many countries, including Tim Duncan's native Virgin Islands. And everything would be fine, but the same hurricane destroyed the only pool on the islands and Duncan now had nowhere to train.

You say - hey, if he lives on an island, then the ocean is around! Why shouldn't he train there? It's very simple - Duncan is terrified of sharks. That is why his swimming career ended so early.

At the age of 15, Duncan picks up a basketball for the first time and starts playing for the school team. And here is what his first coach said about Timmy:

Duncan was huge. He was big and tall, I haven't trained players like that for a long time. But despite all his dimensions - he was just terribly clumsy!

Gradually Tim began to improve, averaging 25 points in his senior year at school. His game has attracted a large number of universities and colleges from all over America. And Wake Forest offered the young player an athletic scholarship.

In college, Duncan begins to develop his usual playing style. Simple but effective. Duncan combined many aspects of the game, such as high-quality post play, open mid-range shots, and tough defense. It was this style that helped not only him, but also his team, to show good results in the NCAA.

Duncan, one of the few superstars (if not the only one) who spent all four years of college! All because he promised his mother, who died the day before Tim's 14th birthday, that he would graduate from college and get an education.

In the end, over 4 years in college, Tim was 97-31, scored over 2,000 points, 1,500 rebounds and 400 blocks and was automatically selected for the 1998 draft, where he was selected with the first pick of the San Antonio Spurs.

With the Spurs, Duncan first became assistant to David Robinson, then became the team leader himself for many years. San Antonio is a 15-year dynasty, just like the New England Patriots (as a fan of all Boston teams, I just had to compare the two franchises). And all this time, the main face of the team was Tim Duncan, the man who achieved everything in the NBA.

9000 All-Star Team Member, 2nd NBA Team.

Giannis was born in Grezzi, in a family of Nigerian immigrants and until the age of 13 he played only football, having absolutely no idea what basketball is and who needs it at all.

Yannis and his family had a hard time, to put it mildly. There was a catastrophic lack of money, so he and his brother sold all sorts of trinkets, watches, bags on the streets, trying to somehow help their parents with finances. Well, after a hard day, Giannis and his brother went to the football field and chased the ball until late.

That was until 2007, when basketball appeared in the life of the young Antetokounmpo.

The young player fell in love with the game and began to devote all his free time to developing his basketball skills. And it paid off! Two years later, in 2009, Giannis starts playing for Fylatlitikos youth team.

In 2012, The Greek Freak made the main roster, spent a middle season in the Greek League Two and entered the 2013 draft, where the Milwaukee Bucks nonetheless were selected.

Giannis' NBA career developed over three seasons. The coaching staff worked very competently here, which, as Antetokounmpo performed in the league, gradually loaded him with new baggage of knowledge and skills. Giannis soaked it all up like a sponge and as time went by, his minutes played and his role in the team increased.

Now Giannis is the future of basketball, the second LeBron, the man who can make the Eurostep from the three-point line. I'm afraid to imagine what will happen to this player in the future, because Giannis is only 23 years old! And he is already a franchise player and will progress in each next season.

Mark Eaton

Started: 1977 (21 years old)

Career stats: 6.0 + 7.9 + 1.02 9.02 + 1.020005

Achievements: 2x Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star, 4x Block Shot Leader, 3x Defensive Five.