Point Guard College was AMAZING

I just returned from the PGC Essentials course today and I have to say it was one of the best spent 5 days in my life, no exaggeration. Not only did I learn a ton about basketball and techniques but also a great deal on life lessons. Mano, the president, was one of the most inspirational speakers I've ever heard. Every lesson he taught or speech he gave was very enjoyable to attend.

There was way too much covered for me to list all of them, but if any of you have any questions on specific things they taught I'd be happy to provide some information. And if you can, definitely attend this camp. Even if you decide basketball isn't for you later on, there's things you'll learn that will change your life. It changed mine.

I went to Point Guard college last year too and my one tip would be to remember the lectures and read your notes a few times a week or before you play so that you can make the habits taught at PGC permanent

how is the talent level at the camp

Great. At the camp, did you learn the secrets to communicating?
I seem to be making my teammates worse or something..

How'd you fare at the camp? I'm sure you had scrimmages and such... what was the single most important thing you learned?

[QUOTE=bdobeast]how is the talent level at the camp[/QUOTE]

The talent level was high. Many of the kids were excellent shooters and also skilled finishers. They were almost all 6'0" or above as well.

[QUOTE=bobbyflay]Great. At the camp, did you learn the secrets to communicating?
I seem to be making my teammates worse or something..[/QUOTE]

Yes, they really emphasized positive attitudes and communication. Often times we had to work with other players to get the gym pumped up by making noise and we had breaks where we'd talk to our partners and tell them what they did right and wrong. During competitions we were expected to help keep our teammates positive when a play was messed up. If you're not very vocal, attending this camp will really help you with leadership skills.

[QUOTE=Swaggin916]How'd you fare at the camp? I'm sure you had scrimmages and such... what was the single most important thing you learned?[/QUOTE]

One thing they made clear from the start was that there would be NO traditional scrimmages. The reason was they felt like if we scrimmaged we would forget all the habits they were trying to push onto us, so we played games like 3 on 3 attack and ultimate basketball where any time we failed to display proper habits a turnover was called. Ultimate basketball is basically full court 5 on 5 with no dribbles, until dribbles were added later on. 3 on 3 attack is 3 on 3 but the team has to score with a maximum of 3 passes. At the beginning they also limited it to 2 dribbles to maximize efficiency.

On the final night, we played in a Tournament of Champions. We started at 10pm and played until 2:30am, because in order to leave you had to win your way off the court. Once you won you cheered the other teams on. Basically it was a giant tournament of 3 on 3 attack with teams of 4 (1 sub). The boys tournament had 20 teams and in order to move past the qualifying round you had to score 10 baskets. If you won, you stayed at the basket, if you lost, your team went to the end of the line.

It sounds simple, but it wasn't. They called everything, from failing to peek at the rim immediately after receiving the ball to catching the ball out of your range. Any takeoffs off 1 foot were turnovers as were bounce passes. There's a bunch of other rules but you'll get the point.

Once you made it to the championship round, there is only 1 money basket. Here you had to score 3 in a row to finish the tournament. And this is where it really gets tough, because the refs don't call fouls. You can go in hard and hit the ground hard but they're trying to get the players to not base their games on the refs calling fouls, but rather on solid scoring.
Myself I did poorly. I hit 1 layup off a 1 footed takeoff so it wasn't counted, then the other 2 times I would drive and get fouled. My shot wasn't falling and the D was good at closing the lane so I passed it to the shooters on my team. In the championship round often the other teams would foul you if you were about to get 3 points and since no fouls were called, they would get the ball.

Sounds complicated lol.

Just remember all the stuff you learned it can really separate you from da average baller

Sounds complicated, but with many basic exercises.
In that camp, you were invited or did you payed something?

Learning to shoot while being fouled made the biggest difference in my game when I was young.

Did they give a reason for the no one-foot take off rule?

[QUOTE=Rolando]Learning to shoot while being fouled made the biggest difference in my game when I was young.

Did they give a reason for the no one-foot take off rule?[/QUOTE]

Yeah big man can time your steps off one foot especially if your undersized. Off 2 you have more control, can change directions and make smart decisions, and are more likely to go to FT line

[QUOTE=Maga_1]Sounds complicated, but with many basic exercises.
In that camp, you were invited or did you payed something?[/QUOTE]

Nah it wasn't an invite only camp, anyone can go just pay.

[QUOTE=dwadefan11]Yeah big man can time your steps off one foot especially if your undersized. Off 2 you have more control, can change directions and make smart decisions, and are more likely to go to FT line[/QUOTE]

These were the exact same reasons they gave us. All good shot blockers rely on timing and they time 1 foot takeoffs. With 2 feet, I still have my pivot, can fake multiple times and can create contact whereas taking off 1 foot I've pretty much forced myself to shoot/pass and that puts me in a difficult situation.

sounds fantastic. Do you have any videos from the camp? :O

The 2011 PGC Basketball summer schedule is up. There are stops all across America this summer for all skill levels, including college prep and professional skills.

PGC provides an intense, no-nonsense basketball education for players of all positions

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