My Week On the Brink - Tuesday

The monotony of basketball camp has set in...and it is only Tuesday.

After another two hours of Scott McClellan, whose voice is not the best caffeine in the morning, I rolled into camp for another day of basketball. Tuesday always moves along more quickly which is both good and bad. The good is that the day goes by faster as it is jam-packed with activities. The bad is that there is less time to relax and enjoy the other coaches because every minute demands a camper's attention.

One of my duties is to stretch the campers. I earned this privilege during my first year as camp coach back in the 1990s and have done it every camp since. My trick? Fun counting. We count up to 12, down from 12, by two's, in Spanish, increasing volume, etc. The little kids love it; the other kids put up with it. I stole the idea from another camp I worked in high school, but nobody knows that in Knoxville.

Speaking of getting credit for things not mine, we did a drill today called the "Carpenter Drill." I'm serious. There are not too many drills named after people - Mikan Drill, Dantley Drill and Carpenter Drill. It is not mine either - I got it out of a Five Star Basketball book - but Coach Stroupe loved it and named it after me. The drill is simple - lay-up, run to free throw line, lay-up, run to free throw line, etc. I call it the Hustle Drill; at camp we call it the Carpenter Drill.

Today's learning station was using a change of pace to beat the defender. I even delved into my bag of basketball tricks to show them some subtle ways to trick their defender. Kids are funny - they cannot do the simple things you ask of them, but insist on trying difficult things that really good high school players cannot do. I asked them to dribble toward the defender (a trash can) slowly, then burst past (change of pace). A few of them decided that was beneath them and tried behind-the-back or spin moves instead. I asked one kid what he was doing and he replied, "I'm trying to challenge myself." The kid cannot hit the rim on a lay-up, but he wants to challenge himself with a behind-the-back move. Classic.

The coaches spent lunch debating Terrance Oglesby's shot selection for Clemson. If I could shoot like that kid, I wouldn't pass either. That was my two cents.

The afternoon was all about playing. 3 on 3, 4 on 4 no dribble and 4 on 4 live. Tempers flare and fundamentals are forgotten once we start playing real games. I had to stop the action a few times to settle disputes (usually between teammates) and correct bad play. The main goal with my group (the D group - you can guess how good they are) is to get them to move without the basketball. I yell "cut" over and over throughout the action at kids who are standing in one spot asking for the ball. Hopefully by Friday they figure it out.

Today's camp comments came from Sun Tzu (told you) about deceiving an opponent in war. They were a bit rushed today because we were running late and, frankly, they were not by best. The varsity head coach did a better job than me, though he piggy-backed off my previous days remarks. Plagiarism.

Tomorrow is Hump Day. Someone will melt down tomorrow - guaranteed.