Lessons

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My individualized lessons are geared at providing instruction in all areas of the game including ball handling, passing, rebounding, defense, and game strategies. We've all been to camps where you have stations of 15 to 20 people, then play 3 on 3 after lunch, and 5 on 5 games at night. These camps are great for those players who play the point guard because they usually consist of running down the court and shooting it before anyone else can touch it. What about the other four players? This made me think, what is out there for players in need of more individualized skill development? I knew I would be able to offer something much more beneficial to players like me. It's obvious that there are very few services out there that offer this individualized attention.

Benefits

• Strengths and weaknesses identified.

• Specifics on how to improve players game in the areas of ball-handling, passing, shooting, strategy, and sportsmanship.

• Drills to develop specific individual improvement skills.

• Competitive atmosphere. I sincerely believe competition breeds competitive spirit.

• Lessons will be geared toward skill level of each individual or group.

• Groups of no more than 4 per group.

• Lesson are based on skills learned during career at Vanderbilt University, Scott County High School, and over 60 camps attended growing up.

• Individual lessons with former 2000 Kentucky Mr. Basketball, 2004 SEC 6th man of year, and captain on team that reached NCAA Sweet 16.

• Discussion with parents about improvements players can make on their own.

Message to Players and Parents

We all know players are made, not born. Reaching your full potential should be everyone's goal in life, Steve Prefontaine said it best, "Anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift." I truly believe many athletes understand the need to work hard in order to achieve results but without direction athletes will never reach their full potential. You wouldn't want someone to perform surgerty on you without attending medical school, would you?

My individual improvment lessons will introduce players to skills, drills, and logic that will improve physical and mental aspects of their game.

Motivation

Although my dream was to run out of the Rupp Arena tunnel wearing white and blue to 25,000 screaming fans that dream was never achieved. However, I do believe Les Brown said it best, "If you shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will still be among the stars." I have great fulfillment in using my knowledge of the game learned over the 20 years of my basketball life to teach young men and women develop basketball skills in pursuit of the same dream I had. In addition to the basketball skills I teach I believe basketball gives me the sounding board to convey the importance of setting and going after them with your whole heart.

As a player at the Division 1 level who played in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, I know what it takes to play at the next level! We've all heard the cliche, "practice makes perfect." This holds true when you know what to practice. Allow me the opportunity to teach you the many skills, techniques, and drills it takes to achieve the goals and dreams you have set for youself.

Take the Shot

With the Vanderbilt Commodores clinging to a two point lead and the visiting Kentucky Wildcats pressing to gain the lead back with 17 seconds left, the only thing standing between the Wildcats and a clinch of the Eastern Division of the SEC is a young man who once dreamed of playing for the Cats. I stepped to the line for a one and one...

I'll come back to the story shortly...my realization about basketball didn't come until after college. I developed a deep appreciation for the sport I love, it does much more than just occupy your time. It deveopes team building, unselfishness, work ethic, dedication, accountability, competitiveness, sportsmanship, and many other skills that can be applied to everyday life.

...As the players lined up in preparation for the two most important free throws of my career I wiped my brow and thought back to everything that brought me to this point. I remembered the countless camps and leagues my parents enrolled me in to develop skills, the many coaches that demanded more of me than I did myself, and the long nights I stayed after practice working on free throws for just this situation.

As you can tell behind every athlete there is a support system. My parents, though very knowledgable in basketball, understood that I was like any other kid, and didn't think they knew anything. So, they sent me to over 50 basketball camps, in over 15 states. These camps were always the same thing, a meat market of basketball players. The sound of 250 balls bouncing and shooting all at once made it difficult for me to receive the individualized attention I was looking for.

...The referee throws me the ball, I did my regular routine, 1 dribble, exhale out and let it go, SWOOSH! One more and I could all but ice the game against the team I grew up watching on TV. The second shot, 1 dribble, exhale out, let it go......SWOOSH! The day was ours, we had made the Cats wait another day to clinch the East.