After watching last year’s Final Four I vowed not to watch college ball again, but here I am watching it because there is no NBA. Nothing has changed at the college level a bunch of athletic kids running around with no idea how to play. There are quite a few pro’s in the same boat. Just watched Kentucky against Old Dominion. Kentucky is ranked number 2 in the country. If they are the number 2 team in the country it is going to be a very long winter watching hoops. They have trouble shooting Free Throw’s once again and have a ton of turnovers. That is not a very good combination to have, if you expect to be a contender. Listening to the announcers they continually talked about Kentucky’s length and athleticism. Length and athleticism are GOD given. Skills and fundamentals are honed through hours of repetition from hours of work in the gym. The lonely hours. When is the last time an announcer said that the guy is a “gym rat.” Just playing games will not make you a better shooter, better ball handler or a better passer. You have to be sound fundamentally. Yes, guys are gifted with there height and athleticism but how about putting some time in the gym and being able to knock down a free throw. Have some pride in your game. Now watching another game and the announcers are talking about both teams having trouble scoring the basketball. WHY? How about going into the gym and working on hitting a fifteen foot jump shot. There should be no excuses in this day and age of players not being able to shoot with all of the things that they have available to them. If you go to college the chances are your team has a GUN or DR. DISH. Use the machines and shoot 500 shots in a short period of time, do this several times a week. You will get better, try it and see. If you do it more than a few times a week you will improve more. Try it and see for yourself. Please make the college game pleasant to the human eye. It just amazes me that there were not more players at my college shooting camp with the poor percentages that are being posted. I’ve seen enough for the day, I’m off to the YMCA to make shots, something not seen enough in the NCAA. Since the NBA season looks lost I will also spend my evenings watching High School basketball. Will have my thought and insights on high school ball shortly. Take care and sing the GOOD LORD’S PRAISES in all that you do.

In order to improve as a basketball player you need to train, work on your weaknesses and practice correctly. If you do not put the time in to work on your game you will not improve. It’s really quite simple. Kids would rather play games than go to a basketball camp that would make them become better at playing the game of basketball. If all you do is play you are not developing as a player. If you can’t dribble with your left hand and you don’t practice it, when are you going to be able to dribble with your left hand? It’s not going to happen in the game. Kids wonder why they can’t make shots in games? Well you don’t even practice and when you do practice you don’t have a clue as how to practice properly let alone how to shoot the ball correctly. When is the last time you saw a kid at the park shooting by himself? Now kids have trainers and if they are not with their trainers they won’t practice on their own. So they work with their trainer once or twice a week and that’s it. Then in the fall, spring and summer they play a ton of games in AAU. If you want to become better you have to work at it, put the time, sweat and effort into improving. MAKE SHOTS NOT EXCUSES