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TEXAS SKILLS SELECT BRINGS OUT THE OLD AND THE NEW

Posted by Angie Diamond at 12:28 pm

TEXAS SKILLS SELECT BRINGS OUT THE OLD AND THE NEW

From the old to the new, talent was on full display at the Skills Select-Texas. Skills Select hosted 68 players from five states for a day of skill development, film study, inspiration, motivation and games. We’ll take a look at the top performers of the camp starting with the Class of 2012 top cagers:

Moriah Jefferson/ 5’7 Point Guard (THS) – Jefferson is regarded by many as the top point guard prospect in the country and one of the country’s fieriest competitors. Nothing changed my mind during the camp. Jefferson, a UCONN commit, was the Day 1 standout as she showed great speed and execution during the skill workout and translated those energies and efforts into the five-on five competition. Standing a shade under 5’7, Jefferson was a surprisingly willing rebounder on the interior. Her skills, combined with her speed and willingness to “go hard” all the time, makes her an elite prospect. She was slowed during the second session due to a head injury.

SKILLS (HM)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (MM+) +SPEED (HM+)+ INTANGIBLES (HM+)+ UNDERSTANDING (HM) + POTENTIAL (HM) =OVERALL (HM) {P24}

Courtney Williams / 6’1 Guard (Northshore)- C-Will is simply a WOW type of player. Her combination of size, athleticism and skills really goes unmatched in any girls HS basketball camp. At 6’1, Williams is as versatile as any player in America. She has made a verbal pledge to the National Champions – Texas A & M Aggies and figures heavily in their plans for another championships in the coming years. I would like to see her a little more assertive and at times a little more selfish, especially on the offensive end. Her skill work was good, but not great as her effort seem to come and go. The same can be said about her game play, but this is by far one of the most talented and versatile guards in the country in the past six years.

SKILLS (HM-)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (HM+)+ SPEED (HM-)+INTANGIBLES (HM+)+UNDERSTANDING (MM+) + POTENTIAL (HM+)= OVERALL (HM) {P24}

Chloe Pavlech/ 5’9 Guard (Sycamore, OH) – Pavlech, an Ohio native, made the trip down to Texas to show why many consider her one of the top guards in the Buckeye State. A cerebral guard with a strong frame and very good understanding, Pavlech has improved her ball-handling skills and is an improving play maker. A good athlete, she will need to improve her speed and quickness as she prepares for life in the ACC (Maryland commit). Her shooting was inconsistent most of the weekend, but her ability to recognize that is a skill in itself.

SKILLS (MM+)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (HM-)+SPEED (MM) + INTANGIBLES (HM-) +UNDERSTANDING (HM) + POTENTIAL (MM)= OVERALL (MM+)

Anna Strickland/ 6’0 Forward (The Woodlands) – Strickland was in many ways the surprise of the weekend camp among the seniors class participants. She was the centerpiece of a team of hardworking, unselfish, and determined troopers that went undefeated in Group play. Strickland likely projects as a forward at the next level but she’s versatile enough to make her very attractive as a wing. Her quickness to the ball and her ability to score in transition were very noticeable. She doesn’t look the part, but she’s a player; a definite glue style player for any mid-level program.

SKILLS (MM+)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (MM)+SPEED (MM) + INTANGIBLES (HM-) +UNDERSTANDING (MM+) + POTENTIAL (MM)= OVERALL (MM)

Briona Chatman/ 5’10 Forward (Klein Oak)- Chatman was another surprise performer at this year’s Texas camp. Long, wiry and athletic. Chatman was a factor on both ends of the floor. This is a player who could affect the game without scoring a basket, due primarily to her raw athletic abilities. I see her as a first rate defensive minded wing with the ability to guard multiple position. Her offensive skills are lacking the polish to warrant recognition from the Majors- or even some emerging or top-tier Mids, but a college prospect none-the-less.

SKILLS (LM)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (MM)+SPEED (MM+) + INTANGIBLES (MM) +UNDERSTANDING (LM+) + POTENTIAL (MM)= OVERALL (MM-)

Kassandra Lopez/ 5’6 Guard (Veterans Memorial) – Lopez is a small guard who primarily played off the ball during the five-on-five competition. She has a nice stroke and performed well during the skills portion of the camp.

SKILLS (MM)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (DII)+SPEED (LM) + INTANGIBLES (LM) +UNDERSTANDING (MM) + POTENTIAL (LM)= OVERALL (LM/DII)

LaTifah Rainey /6’1 Forward (John Tyler) – Big Body post; limited mobility; very little elevation.

SKILLS (DII)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (LM+)+SPEED (DII) + INTANGIBLES (DII) +UNDERSTANDING (LM) + POTENTIAL (LM)= OVERALL (DII)

Ebony Easter/ 5’8 Guard/Forward (Sandra Day O’Connor) –A classic tweener type of player, Easter plays an outstanding inside game, but combines it with nice attacking style from the wing and key area. Despite her 5’8 frame she was able to score (regularly) again bigger forwards. Despite her effectiveness, many DI level will shy away because her skills still need some refining. But she’s a player worth some consideration at the DI level for sure.

SKILLS (LM)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (LM)+SPEED (MM-) + INTANGIBLES (MM-) +UNDERSTANDING (LM+) + POTENTIAL (MM-)= OVERALL (LM+)

Adriana Dominguez/ 6’1 Forward (Klein Oak) – Dominguez is a long forward with the ability to finish.

SKILLS (LM)+ SIZE FOR POSITION (MM-)+SPEED (MM-) + INTANGIBLES (LM) +UNDERSTANDING (LM+) + POTENTIAL (LM)= OVERALL (LM)

Kelvin Powell is the Director of Player Personnel and the Director of Skills Select Exposure Camps for Ganon Baker Basketball Services. Powell is a member of the McDonald’s All-American Selection Committee, as well as a contributing editor with SLAM Magazine. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Gatorade National and State Player of the Year Program. He is presently employed at Tallahassee Community College as an Athletics Adminstrator.

Ganon Baker Basketball Camp Inspires Scottish Players

Posted by Angie Diamond at 9:37 pm

Ganon Baker Basketball Camp Inspires Scottish Players

Posted on 28 July 2011.

After a very successful camp last week, Ross Hutton (UK Manager for Ganon Baker Basketball) has written this report.

“There are players and coaches in Scotland who are exceptional. No question. They work hard and are motivated to get to the next level and some have proven to reach heights some can only dream of (Robert Archibald and Kieran Achara). However, there aren’t too many. Attitude, dedication, desire, know how, will power and passion are all things I know young players today have missing from their mind set. It’s far too easy to pick up the play station consol than go outside for a blasting 3 mile run or 30 minutes skipping etc etc.

Ganon Baker is the epitome of hard work and devotion to a purpose. His purpose is to lead by example as he teaches players of all ages and abilities how to improve their game as well as their attitude towards hard work from the top NBA players to elementary school kids. And he does this by working out while he demonstrates and runs the camp to the point where his shirt is soaked through as he tells stories of the adversity he faced growing up as the ONLY white kid in his school.

The Ganon Baker Skill Development Camp took place at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow last week and attracted players from all over Scotland (as far afield as the Shetlands) as well as some parts of England. Ganon quickly recognised that the attitude and spirit of the camp wasn’t where it should have been and sought out to get the players fired up.

The campers witnessed Ganon doing moves and performing skills that they will only have ever seen on film, the internet or heard about. He would tell stories of working with NBA players and the work rate they have in order to be the best. He mentioned working with Kobe Bryant and how he would work himself into blacking out as he pushed himself so hard. “Everyone wants to be the champion but no-one wants his pain”, was a quote he used to demonstrate that success does not come served up on a silver platter.

Assisted by his wife MJ (Head Coach of Bluefield College Women’s team) and a host of top Scottish Coaches, the players were challenged on day 1 with Ganon’s tennis ball work outs, dribbling drills, and ways to finish at the hoop. The main concern as highlighted by MJ was the attention to the ‘details’ which mainly focussed on the poor footwork on display.

On day 2 the players began with games then Ganon began his warm-up routine of ambidextrous shooting, 2 ball dribbling drills and move after move after move. This brought all the players to a standstill as they watched in amazement at Ganon’s repertoire of moves. The players definitely worked harder and it was noted that their work rate and enthusiasm had improved.

One of the highlights of the camp (from my point of view) was the 6 minute work out to an instrumental ‘Dr Dre’ track where Ganon had all the players copy actions he did to the beat of the track. It highlighted some really bad ‘dancing’ by some which I found quite amusing but on the whole it was awesome to see the 120 strong do moves in time together.

I would like to thank the following people for the help in bringing Ganon to Glasgow:

Harvey Blom: Provided me with the opportunity to get on board as the UK Manager for Ganon Baker Basketball and a brilliant friend.

Chris Cleary : Brilliant support from the moment I told him about the possibility of Ganon coming to Glasgow.

Sarah Hutton: Dealt with all registrations and administration

To the coaching staff: Toni Carvill, Paul Boath, Natalie Ghazi, Ela Obla, Craig Nicol, Derek Miller, Natalie Chaloner, Alex Nelson, Dieter Dillen, Erwin Heskamp, Grant Wilson, Frazer Grant, Ali Vannet.

Ahid Ojhagi: Filmed the camp.

Melissa Baker (MJ): A brilliant role model for any player to follow and a very genuine person.

Nike UK (Barney Keeler): Providing the t-shirts

And finally, thank you so much to Ganon Baker. You have inspired and motivated so many players to step up their game, attitude and improve their approach to hard work. On behalf of the players of Scotland thank you and we look forward to seeing you back here next year.”

basketballscotland would also personally like to thank Ross Hutton for making the camp possible!

The Rise of Wellborn Daughters

Posted by Ganon Baker at 8:29 pm

Here is a great article about Dee Brown’s daughter.  For those of you that don’t know, Dee had his daughter train to be a player first and not “play” to be a player.  Train, get skills, learn, fail, go workout some more , then when she was ready, she played in games!!  Dee started her at 10 years old!!  Training works!!  Train then play!!  DON’T GET IT TWISTED!! Congrats Dee and Lexi !!

AUGUST 19, 2011

The Rise of Wellborn Daughters

Many Top Women’s Basketball Prospects Have Famous Athletes for Dads; a Societal Shift

By SCOTT CACCIOLA

Dee Brown has never lost a game of one-on-one to any of his four kids, but the competitive gap is closing.

This summer, the former Boston Celtics guard, who won the 1991 NBA slam dunk contest, came within a missed layup of losing to his eldest.

“I blew it,” said Lexie Brown, one of the country’s top girls high-school point guards. “I’ll get him eventually.”

There is nothing particularly unusual about sports stars producing genetically gifted children. Los Angeles Lakers teammates Kobe Bryant and Luke Walton are the sons of former professional players, and NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning are tracing the path set by their father, Archie.

The difference these days is that more of these offspring are girls. And in recent years, a growing proportion of them are choosing to showcase their abilities on the basketball court.

Lexie Brown, a junior who has committed to play for the University of Maryland, is one of at least nine top-notch high school basketball players who can claim some high-profile paternal DNA. Kaela Davis, widely considered the top high-school junior in the country, is the daughter of retired NBA forward Antonio Davis, who coaches her Amateur Athletic Union team. One of Kaela’s AAU teammates, Diamond DeShields, was Georgia’s high school player of the year as a sophomore last season. Her father is former major-league infielder Delino DeShields.

Sydney Moss, the daughter of recently retired NFL star Randy Moss, is a top-50 recruit. Taryn Griffey, a jet-quick point guard who guided her high-school team to a Florida state championship as a freshman last season, is the daughter of former major-leaguer Ken Griffey Jr.

The pipeline to the pros for the sons of famous athletes is as robust as ever—Klay Thompson, the son of former NBA forward Mychal Thompson, was a first-round pick of the Golden State Warriors in June. But the ranks of gifted daughters have surged.

Basketball has become the game of choice for many of these athletes. It’s not only the most popular college sport for women (16 Division 1 programs averaged at least 5,000 fans per home game last season), it offers chances to play professionally both at home, thanks to the WNBA, and abroad.

These girls are part of a generation that has benefited from greater exposure to sports, in part because of the influence of Title IX. At the same time, social stigmas have dissolved: If fathers—especially fathers who come from the testosterone-laced world of professional sports—were once reluctant to encourage their daughters to practice their jump shots, that no longer seems to be the case. “I told her, ‘Basketball can get you whatever you want in this world,’” said Xavier McDaniel, a former NBA forward whose 16-year-old daughter, Xylina, has already led Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C., to a pair of state championships.

At a recent USJN summer tournament in Washington, D.C., Xavier McDaniel—still a formidable presence at 6-foot-7, though a few cheeseburgers beyond his 205-pound playing weight—patrolled the sidelines as an assistant coach for Xylina’s AAU team, the South Carolina Lady 76ers.

A forward who was South Carolina’s player of the year as a sophomore last season, Xylina was the most ferocious player in the gymnasium. Her father constantly barked instructions. He was dripping with sweat by halftime.

“I try not to yell and scream,” he said as he toweled off. “But, you know, I’m not going to say it never happens.”

Xylina, who has scholarship offers from a host of elite college programs, including North Carolina and Connecticut, said her dad gets instant respect from the other players on her team because of what he accomplished during his 12 years in the NBA, where he was known as a fierce competitor.

As for the inevitable comparisons to her father, Xylina said they don’t bother her. “From what I’ve heard, he was really good,” she said.

She suspects her younger brother—Xavier McDaniel Jr., a 6-foot-3 freshman—feels more pressure. Folks around Columbia refer to him as “Little X.” “Everybody expects my brother to be just like my dad,” Xylina said, “because he’s a boy.”

In either case, Xavier McDaniel said he has always encouraged his children to embrace their lineage. “Pressure is what you make of it,” he said. “Like I tell my son, ‘It don’t matter if you want to say you want to be your own person. You’re still going to be compared to me.’ It’s the same thing I told my daughter: ‘Either you relish it or they’ll gobble you up.’”

Not every player chooses to emulate her father, of course. Gene Durden, Kaela Davis’s coach at Buford High in Georgia, said Kaela has done “a good job of becoming Kaela Davis and not ‘Antonio Davis’s daughter.’” She achieved that, he said, by creating her own identity as a player. Antonio Davis was a dominant bruiser who ruled the paint. Kaela, who has committed to Tennessee, has shaped herself into a perimeter-oriented force, even though she’s 6-foot-2.

Antonio Davis has taken an active role in coaching his daughter, and that appears to be the rule rather than the exception. Pervis Ellison, a retired 11-year NBA veteran, has worked this summer with his daughter Aja, a sophomore at the Shipley School outside of Philadelphia. Aja recently dunked for the first time in a pick-up game, which impressed her dad. He said he had his first dunk around the same age. “And Aja’s dunk was legitimate,” he said.

Aja, the product of a 6-foot-9 father and a track-star mother, has already sprouted to 6-foot-3 and leaps like a pogo stick. “There are some obvious genetics at work here,” said Sean Costello, her high school coach. But Aja also has benefitted from the tutelage of her dad, who knows the game, played it at the highest level, and has time and resources at his disposal.

The same is true of Lexie Brown, who said she was able to spend countless hours when she was younger developing her skills at her father’s pro-level training facility in Orlando. (The family moved to Atlanta last summer.) He also showed her clips from his playing days but only after he edited them. “His dunk videos, that’s about it,” Lexie said. “That’s his pride and joy right there.”

Dee Brown said his daughter showed few signs of athletic prowess when she first picked up a basketball at age 10. “I honestly thought she was one of the worst players I’d ever seen,” said Brown, who decided to focus on the fundamentals. “No games, just training. Now she’s very skilled, she’s very quick and she understands the game.”

Like Xylina McDaniel, Lexie said she has no doubt she would have felt more of a burden to live up to expectations had she been a boy. Her father agrees. “It made teaching her easier, because she wasn’t afraid to fail,” Dee Brown said.

Instead, Lexie said her biggest challenge was tuning out some of her female peers, who accused her of riding her famous father’s coattails. She said she soon made friends with Taryn Griffey and Kaela Davis, who have dealt with similar issues. “It was more, ‘Oh, you have all these colleges looking at you because of your dad,’” Lexie said. “That bothered me a little bit.”

Write to Scott Cacciola at scott.cacciola@wsj.com

Like Father, Like Daughter

A list of some of the top girls’ basketball players whose fathers have played professional sports.

Player Dad High School Class Noteworthy

Kaela Davis Antonio Davis (NBA) Buford H.S. (Ga.) Jr. Committed to Tennessee

Lexie Brown Dee Brown (NBA) North Gwinnett H.S. (Ga.) Jr. Committed to Maryland

Diamond DeShields Delino DeShields (MLB) Norcross H.S. (Ga.) Jr. Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year

Xylina McDaniel Xavier McDaniel (NBA) Spring Valley H.S. (S.C.) Sr. South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year

Sydney Moss Randy Moss (NFL) Boone County H.S. (Ky.) Sr. Committed to Florida

Taryn Griffey Ken Griffey Jr. (MLB) Dr. Phillips H.S. (Fla.) So. Averaged 15.9 points as a freshman

Aja Ellison Pervis Ellison (NBA) The Shipley School (Pa.) So. Has scholarship offer from Louisville

Taya Reimer Ben Davis (NBA) Hamilton Southeastern H.S. (Ind.) Jr. Member of USA under-16 national team

Holli Wilkins Gerald Wilkins (NBA) Wesleyan School (Ga) Sr. Committed to Furman

Sources: Wall Street Journal research; USA Basketball; ESPN HoopGurlz

Dodson’s Campers Get Dose Of Baker

Posted by Ganon Baker at 3:09 pm

Chris Dodson in Harrisonburg, VA is getting it done! We love having him as our GM and as you can read below, Chris has received a lot of recognition for his skill development work he is doing in his community! Well done Big Fella!

High School Basketball: Camps

The Stealth Mentor

Dodson’s Campers Get Dose Of Baker

By MATTHEW STOSS

Daily News-Record

McGAHEYSVILLE — Ashlie Clar had never heard of Ganon Baker, a former North Caroli na- Wilmington guard who has built a basketball-training em pire based on camps and drills videos.

“ No idea,” said Clar, who plays guard for Stonewall Jack son High School.

Thanks to four days at Spotswood coach Chris Dod son’s girls’ basketball camp at Montevideo Middle School, though, Clar has been im mersed in Baker’s world — even if she didn’t know it.

Dodson is a Baker devotee and uses the Hampton native’s drills, philosophy and language as the basis for his annual camp — which drew 56 players this year — and his basketball program at Spotswood.

“We actually hand our kids on the high school team written tests on what their reads are on each play and that type of thing,” Dodson said at the camp last week.

While there were no handbooks at the camp, called “Takes No Talent” because it focuses on fundamentals and is intended to improve one’s basketball I. Q., Baker’s influence was everywhere. Baker, who could not be reached for comment, is known for unusual drills designed to get a player out of his or her comfort zone.  Many of them involve multiple basketballs, tennis balls or both — such as one drill in which a player throws a tennis ball into the air and has to dribble a basketball between her legs and around her back before the tennis ball comes back down. All that’s missing is the ring of fire and shark tank.  And while they may sound ridiculous, the drills appear to work.

“I’ve never seen some of them, but a lot of them that I haven’t seen work on my strength,” said Clar, who averaged 13 points a game for Stonewall last season. “When we do drills, I really felt how weak I am, and his drills make me stronger.”

James Madison women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks, formerly a men’s assistant at JMU, coached against Baker when he played at UNC-Wilmington and knows Baker well. Brooks said Baker knows basketball but added that his over-the-top style just isn’t for everyone.

“ He definitely knows what he’s talking about,” Brooks said.

“It’s just a matter of your preference or your tastes. Do you like or not? It’s like: Do you like Nike or Adidas?”

Brooks said Baker isn’t his preference, in part because Baker’s workouts are more geared toward individu als and Brooks coaches a team.

“I prided myself on being a really good ballhandler and I never dribbled tennis balls through rings,” said Brooks, a former JMU point guard.

“… We just concentrated on just dribbling the ball. That’s not to say Ganon’s stuff isn’t good, though.” For Dodson, however, Baker is a guru.

In 2009, Dodson went to a three-day Baker clinic in Orlando, Fla. The clinic included classroom and on-court instruction. According to Baker’s website, the three-day course costs $2,500. After taking the class, a participant can take an on-line test to be certified as a Baker instructor.

Sample question, according to Dodson: What are a player’s four reads when coming off a sideline screen?

“ You go through an entire 250-page curriculum, and once you get home, you have three days to take your certification test,” said Dodson, who is Ganon Baker certified. “ Then it’s a three-hour test.”

In essence, Dodson’s camp is a Ganon Baker seminar in miniature. It’s also cheaper. Dodson’s camp cost $75 for four days. According to Baker’s website, many of his camps are $150 or more.

The focus of his camp, Dodson said, is to work on a player’s weaknesses by taking away their strengths and make them uncomfortable.

“It’s about getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things,” Dodson said.  Like Ganon Baker. Even if you’ve never heard of him.

Contact Matthew Stoss at 574 6-284 or mstoss@dnronline.com

Nike All Asia Camp – CHINA – Danielle Viglione

Posted by Angie Diamond at 1:41 pm

It was an honor and blessing to work with Dee Brown, Miles Simon, Dave Hopla and a talented group of girls from all over Asia. Nike always does a great job of putting together camps and creating an environment to inspire and help young players learn the game of basketball.

Dee, Dave, and Miles did a fantastic job of teaching with such high energy and enthusiasm. We also managed to communicate the game despite a barrier of 3 different languages. I learned that sometimes I take for granted being able to communicate the game so easily in the states. The girls had an eagerness to learn and insisted that all our translators communicated to them what we were saying. We learned a lot from this group.

1. They were very competitive but so are all of us coaches. I noticed at camp the players tended to shy away from contact a lot. We worked on absorbing contact when going to the basket. With a pad in one hand I would push and pump each player hard and some fell over and some fell out of bounds. They seemed to like to be challenged. They showed me their competitive nature when Miles, Dee and I played the 3 on 3 champions in a 4 minute game. Every time I tried to go near that basket they wanted to throw me out of the court and they succeeded once. I guess I learned my lesson by using that pad earlier that day. But that won’t stop me in the future. By the way, we won that 3 on 3 game. Dee and Miles showed them some skills that made their jaws drop. I guess we all learned we are all retired but we still have that competitiveness as players. It is this competitiveness to win that makes us want to be better coaches and teachers. I was coaching my team this week and we lost the last night and we were going into our last game of camp. I told the girls that we are not losing this game. I don’t care what it takes but I need everyone to play like it’s the last time. I said anyone not giving 100% is coming out! These girls played awesome the last game and they hustled and competed. That was the best feeling in the world to see that effort!

2. These players also had an unbelievable willingness to learn. We would walk in the gym to see many girls working on skills we worked on in the clinic before. I did not see one player yawn the whole camp and I did not see one player with their hands on their knees as tired as they were. We noticed tremendous improvement after just 2 sessions. Each session they got better because they weren’t scared to mess up and they were eager to improve. This motivated me to want to try to teach them as much as I could in such a short time. I was thankful for the other coaches because I would forget about water breaks sometimes.

3. I learned that female players in Asia struggle with confidence just as American players do. We had a question and answer session with them and a lot of questions focused on the mental aspect of the game. They wondered how to keep their confidence when things don’t go their way; they make mistakes, or have a bad game. We told them you have to forget about the past. You are only as good as your next possession. You have to do your best to learn from your mistakes.

We also told them that you gain confidence because of all the hours of work you put in preparing every day. Always be prepared! Always compete! Believe in yourself even if others don’t! Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t!

Finally, I was reminded this week in China that enthusiasm is contagious. Dee, Miles, and Dave are some of the most passionate, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable coaches that can teach the game at the highest level. I am so thankful that they took the time to inspire and teach these girls this past week. I also thank them for inspiring me and impacting my life. I thank God for giving me the abilities to impact others. I thank God for placing people in my life that do the same for me!!! Thank you to everyone involved with Nike for making this camp happen!!!!

Danielle Viglione

Nike Skill Academy was a Success!

Posted by Angie Diamond at 1:16 pm

For the first time ever Ganon Baker Basketball had three of their staff at the Nike East Coast Skill Academy. Dee Brown, Micah Lancaster, and Ganon Baker flat out got after it for 2 days at the Boo Plex in Hampton, VA. Dee Brown says it best with “We had a great staff, good talent, and the kids listened and worked hard. I love working with Ganon and his staff, they are truly authentic and real coaches.”

“This might have been the best skill academy that I have worked; the girls were amazed at the knowledge and demonstration that Dee and Micah presented. It is an honor to work with these gentlemen.” – Ganon Baker

Mikayla Venson

Posted by Angie Diamond at 9:57 am

Below is a great article on one of the players we train.  She stopped playing AAU at the age of 11 because the coaches had too many games scheduled and not enough training.  She trains with her dad and plays pick up ball against men!

Every Time Mikayla Venson works with us,  she flat out gets after it!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006020.html

Greenville Workout Goes Well

Posted by Ganon Baker at 8:30 am

We just finished a super weekend in Greenville, SC working out the top girls in the country! We had 96 girls get after it and 46 college coaches in attendance- (Some of the coaches in attendance were Florida, Vanderbilt, Texas, Rutgers, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Maryland, UCONN, Baylor, West Virginia, Florida State, Wake Forest, just to name a few… ) Our college coaches #s were down so I think we might go back to Atlanta next year. The colleges were really impressed with our format. Players are not getting educated about the game, and we do a great job at delivering our message!

I was pleased with the work ethic of the players. Brianna Turner, Mikayla Venson and Te’a Cooper worked out hard with me Friday night and Sat morning at 730am even before the event began. They then got in the “Extra Mile” on sat as well. Some other players that impressed me were:

I really enjoyed working with the Texas ladies.  They are so charismatic and passionate about getting better, they were:
Jada Bennett, Paige Bradley, Ashley Deary, Bria Goodman, Tierany Henderson, Nicole Iademarco, Kelsey Lang, Alex Lapeyrolerie, Imani Wright, and Lauren Price

I loved seeing Millesa Calicott.  She can shoot with her left hand like me

Aisha Foy got after it even though she unfortunately got hurt.

The girls did great, however the stamina was a little down, some were out of shape and hit the wall, mid afternoon.  Our young people don’t get enough rest, don’t eat healthy, and are not in the best shape.  That is where I am trying to educate these girls by getting them use to a hard workout.   Can’t wait to hear how the basketball season goes for these young ladies.

Click the link below to read more…

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/womens/news/story?id=5650443

GBB Trainers Are Moving Forward

Posted by Ganon Baker at 8:50 am

It’s very exciting to report that our trainers are doing outstanding things in the community!!

Ryan Goodson, our GBB class graduate spent the summer in Hampton Roads as an intern pro-staff trainer.  He spoke at several camps in VA and trained about 25 players weekly.  From there he has moved on to Oklahoma City where he is the Director of Player Development for the  Oklahoma Impact, a minor league team (www.onpointhoops.com).   Congrats Ryan!

Tyler Relph has been accepted to be the lead trainer at the LTAD center in Toronto Canada.  Tyler is waiting for a work permit and will spend the winter up North.

Micah was asked by Nike to direct the Kobe skills workout in London.  Micah spent the day with the Black Mamba and did an outstanding job there.

MJ worked the Michael Jordan camp this summer and traveled all over the country training.  Now she is about to start her season as a head basketball coach at Spartanburg Methodist College. 

We don’t worry about what we have done at GBB, we concentrtate on what we are doing NOW!!  Congrats Team GBB!!

DC & TX SS Workouts – A Tremendous Success

Posted by Ganon Baker at 9:04 am

This year was a homerun for our TX and DC workout.  I literally felt as though I was at a Nike Skill Academy with the type of talent we had. 

We had the following top players at our DC Skills Select Event:

2014 Jaterie White # 1 All Star Girls Report/ #2 Roundball Journal/# 1 The Real Basketball Report/ 
2012 Michaela Mabrey # 27 Premier Basketball Report/ #33 ESPN Hoopgurlz / #42 Roundball Journal
2014 Mikayla Venson  # 7 All-Star Girls Report / # 3 The Real Basketball Report / # 11 Roundball Journal
2013 Briana Day # 23 All-Star Girls Report/ # 39 Roundball Journal/ ESPN Hoopgurlz Watchlist
2013 Tasia Butler # 27 Roundball Journal/ # 29 All-Star Girls Report/ ESPN Hoopgurlz Watchlist

Below are the top players from our Texas A&M Skills Select Event:
2012  Moriah Jefferson # 2 ESPN Hoopgurlz, # 3 Premier Basketball Report, # 4 Roundball Journal
2014 Brianna Turner # 2 All-Star Girls Report/ #1 Roundball Journal
2012 Courtney Williams # 5 Roundball Journal/ # 9 ESPN Hoopgurlz/ # 9 All-Star Girl Report # 16 Premier Basketball
2013 Jessica Jackson # 11 Roundball Journal/ ESPN Hoopgurlz Watchlist
2012 Courtney Walker # 16 Premier Basketball Report / #34 ESPN Hoopgurlz

However, it was the rest of the players that truly made the camps.  We had 96 in TX and 106 in DC.  Players worked extremely hard and brought tremendous amount of energy and I had a lot of fun working them out.   To say I had fun is a complement considering I do this all year round.   The players’ body language, their energy, and their hungriness to learn kept me engaged the entire weekend. 

In TX we want to thank the TX A&M staff for hosting this event.  Kelvin Powell ESPN Hoopgurlz (write ups http://forums.hoopgurlz.com/showthread.php?t=5756 ) and Joey Simmons with Premier Basketball Report (http://www.premierbasketballreport.com/index.cfm?load=page&page=51# ) were scouting the girls and helping us target the talent.  I want to thank Curtis Symonds for hosting a great event in DC at Hoop Magic.  I want to thank Lisa Bodine and James from Hoopgurlz who helped contribute with the event also.  

Each camp was filled with fundamental drills with a lot of emphasis on moves and enhancing the girls basketball IQ.  Film sessions went great and the games were really competitive.  I loved the intensity the girls brought every possession.  The overall group was not as up to speed on their skill development as I would have liked, and that is why Ganon Baker Basketball will continue to fight to improve these girls’ skills every year.  We invited 130 girls to the Greenville regional event.  I am looking forward in having a good event there. 

Thanks to everyone who participated and helped these two camps to be a great success.  We will do it again next year.