College Basketball – 3000 Miles From Home

January 26, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Considering College Basketball Away From Home?

I’m from San Francisco, California. I grew up playing ball on the playgrounds. Then in high school (Balboa High School) and junior college (Contra Costa College) I graduated to playing playground basketball with referees. The city game is fast paced, lots of in your face defense in crowded tiny gyms where the wall is the out of bounds line. Lots of razzle dazzle and competing against cross town schools with guys who you just played against at the park last Saturday afternoon. Picture the movie “Hoop Dreams”. When I was offered the opportunity to play college ball in rural Northern Maine at the University of Maine at Fort Kent I jumped at the chance, as weird as that might sound.

Basketball Adventure – Taking The Show On the Road

Playing far from home was exciting to me. I was ready to leave home. I had spent way too long in San Francisco. Of course I would miss my family and friends back home but I knew that I was here for a reason: to finish my bachelors degree, and play ball. Northern Maine is pretty much as far as you can get from San Francisco while still being in the United States. If you look on a map my home is at the most far left of the country and Maine is in that top right corner. I barely remembered that Maine was a state when I first learned of this opportunity. The one thing that I did know about Maine was that it gets cold in the Winter, extremely cold. Brutally cold. San Francisco due to it being a peninsula in between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay experiences mild temperatures year round, it’s only an hour drive at most to some sunny beaches and surfing in the beautiful Golden State. I knew coming in that Maine was going to be vastly different in that regard.

As you can see from the UMFK campus picture above, I was right. Aside from the weather, Northern Maine is a lot slower than the big city. I think there’s only a handful of stop lights in the entire town of Fort Kent. In San Francisco, there is always something to do. We have a plethora of museums, clubs, restaurants, and all sorts of attractions. In Fort Kent, your social gathering options are pretty limited outside of hanging with your buddies in the dorms. That’s why I spend most of my spare time in the gym.

Leaving The City Game Behind

The city game and the Maine game as I call it have their differences too. The game up in Maine is slower, not a lot of superb athletes. The city game can turn into a track meet quick. In Maine, lots of teams like to slow it down and execute in the half court. But the biggest difference I’ve noticed is the athletes, which makes sense. Any guy with a little bit of bounce who can run and jump is not going to end up playing in the USCAA in the cold of the North East. I haven’t seen an alley-oop play drawn up all season. Most of the players here in Maine are short, you see a lot of guys around six feet tall playing the 3 spot. Most of these guys handle the ball well, but nothing too fancy. They can all shoot the three and always make their free throws. Very fundamentally sound. Back home, a guy would rather miss a dunk in traffic and excite the crowd as supposed to trying and finishing the lay up with contact.

Another cool thing for me is the road trips. I’m getting to see a lot of the East Coast. I’m getting to see Maine, Vermont, Boston, New York, and Pennsylvania among other places. The road trips can be as long as 16 hour bus rides. When I was in High School, we took the city public bus 20 minutes across town to play games. Also, this being my first season in Maine, I don’t know any of the guys I’m playing against. Which is nice for me having grown up playing against the same guys from the area since I was in the 8th grade.

The Advantage Of Small College Basketball

However, the biggest change is that since San Francisco has so much to offer, there is no type of community feel around a team. Here in picturesque Fort Kent, the community really rallies around the sports teams at the university and they support them heavily. If I walk through town, people know that I play basketball for the local college and I take pride in representing not only the school but the entire Fort Kent community when I play. Back in High School in a big city with six major professional teams and another handful of NCAA schools in the area I could be one of the best prep players in the city but only a sliver of the population would know my name or know who I was. When we played our rival, University of Maine at Presque Isle, which is only an hour away, faculty members and staff on campus were coming up to me telling me that it didn’t matter if we lost every game this season as long as we won this one. The community here takes their sports very seriously and they are invested in the well being of their local team.

All in all, being away from home can bring you down sometimes, not having the support of your friends and family at the games; but those feelings are made up for quickly with such a warm communal feeling around the area. Also, Maine and Northern Maine specifically is rich in basketball tradition. People in the area tend to stay here and raise their families here and they create legacies and generations of basketball players in each small town throughout Maine. I didn’t know it but Mainers really care about hoops and they are so willing to embrace someone who is representing their community on the court.

Although it may be by default since life is slower up here and there aren’t as many distractions, it doesn’t matter to me because for the first time in my life I have the backing of a ton of people and I feel I am playing for something other than myself. I am glad I had a sense of adventure and have been able to play small college basketball 3000 miles away from home.

Fletcher Brown was kind enough to share his basketball journey with us… a journey spanning the borders of the USA. Our hope in sharing this story is that it will encourage other basketball players to look beyond the confines of their local area when pursuing the dream of college basketball. Great universities and colleges like the University of Maine at Fort Kent want to hear from talented young basketball players. Embrace a growth mindset and learn to keep your basketball dream alive by expanding your vision of possibilities.

Basketball Academics – 5 Keys To Overcoming Academic Failure

January 20, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Getting knocked down by avoidable events and poor choices stink, but are an inevitable issue in everyone’s life. We are human, we make mistakes, but life is about perseverance, we have to be able to get up after life knocks us down and don’t give up on our dreams of becoming (in this case) an excellent student athlete and here are some tips to make this process easier.

1. HAVE AN ACADEMIC AND LIFE PLAN

The first step and arguably the most important is having a plan. In order to strive for success you must first have an idea what the end result will be. Know why you are there other than to be a basketball player. Make sure you understand which classes you plan on taking each semester, a degree plan is highly recommended. Take the time to understand why you are in college, why you are taking a course and why you need to stay disciplined. Without a goal in mind it makes it easy to think the journey is pointless.

2. RESISTING TEMPTATION

I personally struggled with my grades as an 18 year old freshman in college. The main issue I seemed to be faced with was temptation to live the “star life” but ignore the academic side of being a college student. The answer is so obvious yet is easily ignored. Resisting temptation is the key! Its understandable that you’re young and meeting new people and want to broaden your horizons socially, but you must realize you’re not there to socialize. Most of us in this situation have basketball as a priority and its probably the only reason we are at this school in the first place, but basketball cannot exist without good grades and motivation in the classroom and if basketball truly means that much to you, you will do anything to keep it in your life.

3. LIVING AN ORGANIZED LIFE OFF THE COURT

When you enter college it is your leap of faith out of your parents nest. You might be used to having your parents take care of your needs or your teachers in high school making exceptions for why your big assignment isn’t done, this is the real world, it doesn’t work like that anymore and its time to grow up! The key to staying on top of your assignments is organization, an academic planner became my best friend in college and it should be yours too, its about understanding when each assignment is due and the feeling of self-satisfaction you get when you cross it off in your planner. Another extremely important piece to being organized is keeping your living area clean. When your dorm is cluttered and messy it becomes easy to lose track of important items that are imperative to your success.

4. STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEMS

We all feel at times we are in over our head, but this shouldn’t worry you. Fortunately, in college we establish strong bonds with people who are willing to do anything they can to make sure you find success along your college venture. We all run into issues we cannot tackle alone, but instead of hiding from these problems, attack them head on, proactively seek your issues and then go to that person that is willing to help and let them guide you through it. Mentors love to help people who want to help themselves, if you truly want to succeed academically, college will provide you the tools to make this dream a reality. Please do not be afraid or ashamed to ask for help when you need it.

5. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF ACADEMICALLY

The last bit of advice I will give is to believe in yourself. Confidence is key! In basketball we fear nobody we envision ourselves out on the court doing nothing but the right things. Why shouldn’t it translate over to the academic side of being a student athlete? The answer is it should! Don’t expect to fail because if you do, more often than not you will! Be confident, be ready for anything your professors throw at you, and most importantly have passion for success.

Joe McCloskey is a basketball player at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. We asked him to share his story with us after learning of his dramatic academic turnaround. Joe is currently averaging 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He is most proud of his journey to improve his academic focus and looks forward to building on his success. Joe was reluctant to share his name and transcript here, but when learning of how it could positively impact other young student athletes he did not hesitate to tell his story.

Basketball Grandparent On Prediction, Patience & Perspective

January 5, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Basketball Grandparent on Prediction, Patience and Perspective

As a senior in high school I wrote a short auto-biography entitled “Basketball is My Life”. Little did I know what a prediction it was to become. As a young dad my son, Fred, could not wait to play competitive sports. I think the first word he learned as a child was “ball”. But his first opportunity really came in wrestling as a 3^rd grader. He was tall and gangly for his age with little moxie for the sport. He could, however, spread out on the mat and no one could “pin” him. This strategy enabled him to have some success…he quickly experienced the emotion of winning and losing.

Fred’s real sport was basketball; he had watched Dad play in the YMCA leagues since he was a toddler. He ran the scoreboard with his sister when he was 5 years old. Fred would get his first chance to play organized basketball in 4^th grade in the local community sports program. Three weeks before the season started, Fred cracked his collarbone skating on a hockey rink…not an auspicious start to the basketball season. As Fred’s dad, I was perplexed as to how soon Fred could start basketball practice. Fred and my patience were to be tested even before his first season started.

I had played Basketball in high school with some small town success. I was a triple jumper in college and grew up as an avid New York Yankee fan. I thought these would be valuable credentials to being a fantastic youth basketball coach. Fred had natural athletic ability and had height on his side. Winning in 4^th and 5^th grade came rather easy and there was not much pressure. Fred and Dad thought they were well on their way to winning basketball. They looked forward to 6th Grade “traveling basketball” where there were “tryouts” and better competition. A rude awakening lay around the corner.

The first few 6^th grade games were quite a challenge. Our team was not very “deep”, and all the kids and their parents expected to win and have their share of playing time. My desire to WIN did not necessarily fit with playing the kids equally most of the time. Players with limited ability grew frustrated with lack of playing time. Their parents became restless with Dad’s coaching style and “wins” were few and far between. My demeanor on the sidelines left much to be desired. I yelled at the kids instead of encouraging them. I lacked patience and exhibited noticeable frustration. It rubbed off on the kids and the parents. The fun of the game was eluding everyone…not good. A 10 – 20 win/loss season was not an expected result. Seventh grade traveling basketball was, unfortunately, a rerun. Eighth grade brought a 50/50 winning percentage. Fred and Dad were due for a change.

Ninth grade basketball brought a new traveling coach with valuable experience and some solid coaching in school. The boys appreciated less pressure and a more level-headed, supportive coaching style. Patience and encouragement brought a winning season and brought fun back into the game. I was embarrassed at the way I had spent 5 years coaching Fred and his buddies in a negative atmosphere.

Fred went on to play in the State Basketball Tourney as a senior and was named Player of the Year in the Metro area. I felt better about the groundwork I helped lay in basketball fundamentals in the early years. Fred had a successful college basketball career and went on to play overseas.

I have had the joy of watching both Fred and my son-in-law coach my grandchildren with class, enthusiasm and encouragement, including success. They find ways to play kids equal time and develop wonderful relationships with the parents. They encourage the kids and do not get upset when a loss comes their way. I have gained a perspective that enables me to feel better about my contribution to youth sports and appreciate how well others are able to do a far better job. My early prognostication was right on, but not as rosy as I envisioned. Now at the age of 70 I truly appreciate the willingness of parents and coaches to work with the kids, encouraging them and mentoring them…and setting an example that all participants can be proud to exhibit.

Gerry Vandegarde is an accomplished athlete in his own right and still plays competitively on the over 70 volleyball circuit. most recently chasing an elusive national championship. Before retirement, Gerry was a Senior Systems Analyst for Wells Fargo and is still a dedicated fan of youth sports… particularly those events involving his grandkids.

Winning With Class & Sportsmanship In Basketball

November 26, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Do You Win With Class On & Off The Basketball Court?

Winning with Sportsmanship:

“It is your response to winning or losing that makes you a winner or a loser” – Harry Sheehy, former Dartmouth coach and administrator

Sheehy’s quote above demonstrates that winning and losing with character is the most important aspect of competition. Sure, you play to win the game, and most basketball teams measure their success in any given season by the number of wins they acquired. Hopefully, if these wins start piling up on a consistent basis, it will lead them to a championship of some sort. Every member of a competitive basketball team plays their best to win the game. If you and your team are successful, and you find yourself on the upper hand of the scoreboard at the end of the game, you need so ensure that you handle your successes in the proper manner. The basketball players and teams that best handle their wins while exemplifying sportsmanship are those that manage to stay humble, avoid complacency, and show a strong desire continue their improvement.

Stay Humble

Even the best teams and players in the basketball world can be beat. Most people that keep in touch with NBA basketball would agree that Lebron James is currently the best all around basketball player in the world. He continues to be a dominant force in the league and has a huge impact on every game he is a part of. But, as the world saw in last years NBA Finals matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, even he is susceptible to losing. For this reason you should always be grateful for the times you succeed in winning a ball game. The moment that you start taking wins for granted is the moment when you start losing more often than not. The best teams and players genuinely appreciate the efforts it took for them to win a particular game. They stay humble because they know that at any given moment, their fortunes could change. Lesson to be learned here, handle your wins humbly.

Avoid Complacency

The teams and players that get too comfortable winning, are generally the ones that will then be dealing with a loss soon after. It is easy to become complacent in practice and on the court when things are going the way that you want them too. When you become complacent and comfortable in your winning ways, you tend to ease off the gas pedal a little. By this I mean you might lose that motivation and drive that led you to the successes you have been experiencing because you somewhat forget what it is like to lose and the disappointing feeling that accompanies a loss. The teams and players that continue to win are those that avoid this complacency, keep an everlasting hunger to win, and take each and every game as a challenge to accomplish something new. The key is to always strive for more.

Keep Improving

As a young basketball player, there is always going to inconsistencies in your game that need improving. Despite how good you make think you are and how much you may think you have the game mastered, there is always room for improvement. There is no such thing as the perfect ball player.

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder is a player that is constantly striving to add new aspects to his game. Despite being named the MVP of the NBA this past year, he still recognizes that there are places in his game that can still be improved. He and his Thunder teammates are a part of a team that continually have one of the leagues best winning percentages year after year. Although they are considered a successful team, Durant and his teammates continue to strive for more because they still have goals they have yet to accomplish. The idea behind this is that even if you are winning on a consistent basis as a player or team, if you continue to set goals with a focus on continual improvement, you will rise to new heights that you didn’t think possible.

Win With Class Basketball Players!

Losing With Class In Basketball

November 18, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Do You Lose With Class In Basketball?

As young basketball players, it is important to understand that when you and your team lose to an opponent, it is crucial that you do so with class and dignity. In every competitive game of basketball, there can only be one team that wins, that is the beauty of the competition. In saying this, the players on the losing side of a game need to be able to deal with the fact that they just loss in the appropriate manner. Here are some helpful hints that you can implement to your behavior when you find yourself on the wrong side of the scoreboard at the end of a ballgame.

Losing is a Part of Basketball

Everybody loses at some point. The best basketball players in the world lose games every year. Michael Jordan, despite his overall success as a basketball player, lost plenty of games in his career. Losing is a part of the game that nobody enjoys, but that everybody experiences on many occasions. This acceptance of a loss is an aspect that relates to mostly all sports. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali said it best.

“I never thought of losing, but now that it’s happened the only thing is to do it right. That’s my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.” Here Ali has accepted that losing is a part of competition, and doing it appropriately is essential.

Being a “Good Loser”

Nobody likes losing, and you don’t have to either. Furthermore, nobody plays the game to lose; you should always play to win. The desire for one team to outlast another is the essence of competitive sports. What helps a team be successful is their ability to put more points on the scoreboard than the other team. However, you must learn to handle the joy of a win as gracefully as you would the disappointment of a loss.

Understandably so, there probably isn’t one competitive basketball player on this planet that wants to be classified as a “good loser.” What is meant by the term “good loser” is being a player that can maturely handle the emotions that accompany loss. A good loser accepts when his team has been beat by another in that particular game and shakes their opponent’s hands to congratulate them on their success. It may not be the easiest thing to do for you young players with a lot of pride in your game, but it shows incredible character. A good loser learns from the loss, then attempts to correct the mistakes that were made while eventually learning from the mistakes to earn a win in the next game that is played.

Keep Your Head Up

“Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you can’t really tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way.” Jim Courier, former World #1 Professional Tennis Player

The best part about basketball is that there is always another game to be played. Whether your team got crushed by 30 points or lost on a last second buzzer beater, understand that walking out of that game with your head held high is crucial to your success in the following games that have yet to be played. The players and teams that make a habit out of winning are those that use their losses as motivation for the upcoming games. Whatever it is, whether in basketball or in life, make an emphasis on handling your losses with sportsmanship and grace.

Losing like a Champion:

Understand that everybody takes their losses
Be a “good loser”
Keep your head held high, there is always another game to be played

What Should I Look For In A Basketball Trainer?

November 16, 2014 By basketballtrainer

What Should I Look For In A Basketball Trainer?

We often get asked the question: “What should I look for in a basketball trainer?” Basketball trainers of all forms exist in the world of youth basketball today. There are some truly great ones that use phenomenal methods to help their students become better players. On the other hand, there are also those that claim to be worthy trainers, but fail to use any sort of effective methods to teach the game. As a young player, you should be looking for these following simple characteristics in your trainer to make certain that you are getting the most out of your time spent in the gym:

Basketball Expertise:

If you are paying for lessons from a basketball trainer, you want to ensure that they themselves have been through the ropes. By this, I mean that the trainer should have experience in playing or coaching at least at the college level as a minimum. The reason for this is because you want to know that they are knowledgeable on the fundamentals and have experienced the hard work it takes to play basketball at a high level before you take advice from them. They must present an expertise and a knowhow of the game that shows that they have accurate information about basketball that they can teach. Furthermore, you want to know that they can give you the tips you need to play basketball at a high level just as they have done.

Ability to Teach/ Instruct Basketball Skills:

Coach K of Duke University basketball once said, “I don’t look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.” This is the type of attitude you hope to see in a basketball trainer.

A key characteristic you should look for before deciding on a basketball trainer is seeing if they have the ability to teach the game effectively. In order for you to benefit from their basketball expertise, they need to be able to instruct successfully. A good basketball trainer should easily be able to put into words what basketball skills they want their trainees to work on, why they should be working on them, and how their extra work will benefit them in becoming a better player. In addition to this, it also helps if your trainer is in shape enough that they can show you physically and specifically how they would like each drill performed. Having someone that can model for you the correct way to perform a jab step or crossover dribble will help you in easily being able to copy these actions for your own game.

Enjoys their Basketball Job And Is Happy:

Nobody likes to be around someone that is unhappy. It causes a loss in motivation and sucks the enjoyment out of that moment in time. This pertains to your basketball trainer as well. You should be looking for a basketball trainer that is genuinely excited every time he comes into the gym to teach his craft. They should truly enjoy the time that they spend teaching the game of basketball and have an excitement about it that is contagious to the young individuals that they are training. A trainer with a positive attitude is much more effective at teaching the game because he will instill a love for the game in his students that they will want to also exemplify. When a basketball trainer can keep the game fun they promote a sort of willingness from the people they are training to exert as much effort as they can to improve their game.

To Sum Up, Your Basketball Trainer Should:

Have high level basketball playing or coaching experience
Show an ability to teach their craft
Love teaching the game of basketball

College Basketball – 3000 Miles From Home

Considering College Basketball Away From Home?

Basketball Adventure – Taking The Show On the Road

Leaving The City Game Behind

The Advantage Of Small College Basketball

Basketball Academics – 5 Keys To Overcoming Academic Failure

1. HAVE AN ACADEMIC AND LIFE PLAN

2. RESISTING TEMPTATION

3. LIVING AN ORGANIZED LIFE OFF THE COURT

4. STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEMS

5. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF ACADEMICALLY

Basketball Grandparent On Prediction, Patience & Perspective

Basketball Grandparent on Prediction, Patience and Perspective

Winning With Class & Sportsmanship In Basketball

Do You Win With Class On & Off The Basketball Court?

Winning with Sportsmanship:

Stay Humble

Avoid Complacency

Keep Improving

Win With Class Basketball Players!

Losing With Class In Basketball

Do You Lose With Class In Basketball?

Losing is a Part of Basketball

Being a “Good Loser”

Keep Your Head Up

What Should I Look For In A Basketball Trainer?

What Should I Look For In A Basketball Trainer?

Basketball Expertise:

Ability to Teach/ Instruct Basketball Skills:

Enjoys their Basketball Job And Is Happy:

To Sum Up, Your Basketball Trainer Should:

Don’t hesitate to email us at BasketballTrainer.com with any questions you have or if we can help you find a basketball trainer in your area.

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