American Heritage Summer College Tour

What a great 17 days we just had together on the road for the annual Heritage Hoops Summer Tour! I absolutely LOVED our tour this year, which was 17 days long - that's right - June 12 - June 29th, 2008. We started at the University of South Florida, went to 5 star instructional camp, went to Florida State, went to Georgia Tech, went to Duke, went to University of North Carolina, went to Clemson University, went to Furman University, went to University of Georgia, went to University of Florida, and went to Stetson University. These visits included stops with the coaching staff and usually a campus tour and informational session. I was fortunate in that every member of our team attended the tour, so we were able to bond and develop chemistry along the way. This trip is something that makes our program at Heritage unique, and I am extremely proud of our Summer Tour. I know our players enjoyed themselves, and I am thankful to the players and my coaches for really making this year a special summer tour. I have posted plenty of pictures, and I encourage you to see as many of them as possible.

USF Team Camp / 5 Star Camp

We enjoyed our trip to Tampa for the University of South Florida team camp. It was well run by Coach Heath and his staff, and our entire team certainly felt welcome and wanted. We arrived Friday afternoon and checked into the Embassy Suites for the weekend. Our first game was at 4:40pm, and we played against Oldsmar Christian. We know and respect Coach Panone and his players, and we were excited to play the game. Before the game the team decided that we were going to spend the next 3 weeks using our team camp time to get better on defense and continue to build our chemistry. During the weekend three of our players were invited to the USF Elite Camp. Jake Wheeler, Marcus Blake, and Raymond Taylor attended the camp and were able to work with Coach Heath and his staff in small numbers. I think the camp was beneficial for all three of our players.
Well I can tell you that this weekend turned into a great building block for us - not only did we win quite a few games (we finished 7 -2), but we really played very good defense. We ended up losing in overtime (the rules stipulated a 1 minute running clock overtime period), but it really was a good weekend for us.
After our last game we packed up our Heritage 15 passenger van and headed to Tallahassee for the 5 star instructional camp. Our guys checked into Sallie Hall and went to work on improving their games. Congratulations to our 3 All-Star selections - Marcus Blake, Raymond Taylor and Everton Chin. Our very own coach, Orlando McCorvey was also selected to the All Star game as a coach.
All in all, it was another great week for American Heritage Basketball.

Lynn University Team Camp

American Heritage was invited to the Lynn University team camp which was held in Boca Raton over the weekend of June 6 - 8, 2008. I was eager to compete with some of the best teams in South Florida, and I was happy to see our guys playing again. Overall we had a great weekend, with plenty of successes and things to be happy with. We ended up losing in the semi-finals of the camp to St Thomas, who went on to win the event. In the game we lost, we held a 3 point lead at the half, only to see us give up the lead and more during the 2nd half. To get to that point, we beat a good Grandview Prep team in the morning behind solid defense and a great team mindset to share the ball. That particular game against Grandview showed our players and coaches just how good they can be when they play together, and it was fun to watch from the sideline.
When we play in team camps, I like to be liberal with playing time during the games on Friday and Saturday. During those games we give players an opportunity to play more than they have usually played - I want to see them play against good competition, plus, as a coach I want those guys who have been working hard to be given a chance to earn more minutes down the road. As a result, I was pleased with our play during the pool play games, and, on Saturday night we won a good game against a very good (and rested) South Miami team. So - to our players that helped us to another good weekend - I say thank you - and to our parents and supporters I thank you too for being there for our guys. I am really looking forward to the rest of the summer and good times ahead for our basketball program.

Point Guard Camp begins as the school year ends

We are already into June - I cannot believe how fast the school came to a close. The months of April and May are two of my favorites, as I believe our players get a chance to really work hard on their games during this time. This year was especially rewarding to me, as our players attended exposure events, but, more importantly, attended skill development workshops. I am fortunate to coach talented players but I always say that hard work will beat talent when talent doesn't work hard. We have developed a culture that believes in hard work, and now, just two months into the off season, I am starting to see the results. During the just completed spring league I witnessed our players compete with other schools in the area and continue to get better and better. In particular I was very impressed with Bill Slade, Raymond Taylor, and Jacob Wheeler - they really showed me that their hard work in the gym is paying off. I don't coach in that league - I go to every game but I just watch - but I really enjoyed watching our guys compete and try and play the kind of ball that we need to play to be successful. We finished 6-2 in the league, but I really wasn't focusing on the wins and losses. Obviously we want to win every game that we play, but the purpose of the league was to get better together, develop chemistry, and showcase our new skill set. Looking back at the league now, I feel that it was a success. Thanks to all our players that played, and to the coaches that were there each night for our guys.
So school came to an end last week, so that can mean only one thing - POINT GUARD CAMP! Over the last three years we have developed a nice niche - we hold a camp designed specifically for the point guards that will address perimeter players. We do a TON of ball handling, and each night we address specific skills that a point guard needs to be successful. The first year of the camp I worked with one of my mentors, John O'Connell, and we put the camp on together here at American Heritage. The last two years, things went extremely well and I continue the camp - in fact we have sold out the camp these past two years. This year I have added a week of girls point guard camp, and that happens next week. Be sure to check out the pictures of the camp - we are all having fun.
Our summer tour is approaching fast, and I will have more to say on that in this space soon.
Enjoy the beginning of your summer.