NEW YORK, NY – After weeks of dunk contests, ten semifinalists have been selected from among amateur dunkers across the U.S., and it is now up to the fans to select which four dunkers will go on to compete in the first-ever Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown at NBA All-Star 2010 in Dallas, Texas.
Fans can visit NBA.com/dunk to watch dunks from each of the ten semifinalists and vote on who they think should be flown to NBA All-Star in February to compete for the chance to be crowned the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown Champion. The winner will receive a grand prize of $10,000 and will attend the Sprite Slam Dunk contest during NBA All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 13, 2010.
Hoops in Oz is currently going through a transitional period at our National level.
The 2008-2009 NBLseason brought about many changes; teams collapsed prior to the season's launch, others struggled to complete the season, and still more refused to take part in a new format implemented by governing body, BA (Basketball Australia), for 2009-2010.
Around 600,000 play the game nationally, so popularity isn’t the issue.
Bad business decisions by team owners appear to have been the root of the problem, although many critics chose to overlook this point. Instead, team owners claim - and you could even say celebrate - that basketball is 'dead' in Australia.
Compared to the US model, our business is in the wilderness. Void of massive injections of cash from multinational companies, and minimal television coverage, the national league has suffered.
With a team salary cap around the million dollar mark, our top level players look to the NBA to make a decent living. But that doesn’t take anything away from the level of play offered to the die hard fans in this country. In fact, last season provided some of the best action despite the collapse of the beloved Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets before the first whistle blew.
The loss of these iconic names actually strengthened the competition with club-less players offered positions elsewhere, thus adding depth to other struggling teams such as West Sydney Razorbacks, who then became the Sydney Spirit in a bid to regain support in the Harbour City.
Long standing franchises such as the Melbourne Tigers, Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers mixed it with the likes of New Zealand Breakers and Melbourne’s South Dragons to provide quality entertainment.
It all came down to the last of a five game shootout between the Tigers and the Dragons with Brian Goorjian’s Dragons going from the bottom end of the ladder last season to take the title.
Sadly, both teams then decided not to be a part of the new league for 2009-2010; the Tigers later doing a back flip and rejoining. With a lot of outside influences coming into play, BA, to its credit, continued with its plan of creating a new model to provide sustainable franchises for the future growth of the league.
Clubs such as Woolongong Hawks have gone to a community-based model, and managed to survive the current world financial crisis. This seems to be the future of the sport in Australia, and a look to our premier winter league, South East Australian Basketball League, (SEABL) is proof in itself.
This league has survived and grown in regional areas over many years, providing up and coming youth a pathway to a bigger future in their chosen sport. The SEABL D-league now takes it one step further. A strong contingent of US players adds to the excitement. A number of NBL players choose to play SEABL in their off-season, while internationals use it as a springboard to the NBL.
It all equates to regional areas having access to top level basketball at very reasonable ticket prices and local youth having the chance to play at an elite level; two elements that foster longevity of the game.
At the grassroots level, local, country and state comps flourish and junior representative leagues are well patronized. The talent on display from under 12s through to under 18s is outstanding and promises a great future ahead for the game.
While some ruthless and selfish team owners may be feeling the pinch of overspending and employing bad business practices, the state of basketball is still rather healthy. While there may be a long way to go, our elite NBL competition will certainly survive this crisis and once more become a respected sport in Australia.
Big Apple Basketball's summer training program is now in session! Register today.
This program works with players in all areas of basketball skill development, and also includes plyometric training to improve your speed, quickness, agility, power, balance, conditioning, concentration, vertical jump and flexibility.
Workouts are held four days per week at Baruch College in Manhattan and Queens College in Flushing.
Academic and group discounts are available! For more information, visit Big Apple Basketball or call (718) 575-3342.
My friend, Tom Curtiss, over at ShotScience.com just reached out to me with a great, new interactive video that focuses on troubleshooting your shot. I hope you find this to be both clever and purposeful. The video is intuitive enough for a brief introduction. Enjoy!
To educate Connecticut residents about the importance of sun protection while enjoying a favorite sport during the summer months, WNBA’s Connecticut Sun will celebrate a 'Day of Community Service' during their game on July 28, 2009, featuring skin cancer prevention and sun protection advice from Yale Cancer Center and giveaways from COPPERTONE SPORT®. http://www.wnba.com/sun/
Is your email inbox inundated with Facebookfan page requests, too?
It seems that over the past year the volume of fan page requests has grown exponentially, and the average page - in both approach and content - seems to get worse and worse.
Am I alone here?
While fan pages can be an integral part of a social media campaign, most basketball players, teams, and organizations, just don't get it. Consequently, I have decided to outline a list of 10 ways to enhance your fan page's presence:
Relevance - If your CYO/JCC team plays on the outskirts of Missoula, Montana, what good is it to request a basketball fan from southern Florida? If your organization's reach is limited geographically, stick to that region. Also, remember that basketball - particularly youth basketball - is a niche community. Stay within your niche!
Branding - Facebook now offers the opportunity to brand your fan page with a vanity URL. Claim yours now and make sure it's consistent and easy to remember. Also, make sure your fan page picture accurately represents your brand, but distinguishes it from the scores of other pages out there.
Content - You've heard the adage, "Content is king." This timeless online principle also holds true for fan pages. Make sure your content is sticky and interactive. Integrate your RSS feed and Twitter feeds, encourage discussion, ask trivia and other related questions, run polls, host a contest or drawing, and update your status daily. Add Facebook applications that will engage fans (i.e. games and quizzes) and enhance the way you deliver your content (i.e. YouTube's application). Humor can work wonders, too. Post videos and photos of your fans (including your team, coaches, and offline fans) and tag them. Use the Facebook events feature to invite your fans to a game, tournament, camp, clinic, fundraiser or awards ceremony.
Facebook Ads - if you're looking to really ramp up your presence and have a decent budget, you can leverage Facebook ads to target your exact audience with demographic and psychographic filters and make a call to action.
Invite trusted friends - Let's face it, friends and family are the closest things to "evangelists" or "sneezers" when you're first starting out. Invite them to become a fan and encourage them to do the same with their relevant friends. Ask your most influential friends in the basketball niche to become administrators of the fan page so that their personal brands are tied to yours.
Constancy - Fan pages, much like a blog, must be updated with quality content on a regular basis. It takes time and effort to reach the basketball community's critical mass. An out-of-date fan page is bad for your brand. Everytime you update your fan page, the update will appear in your fans' home page timeline--visibility is important. When a fan writes on your wall, comment back. Remember, social media is a two-way conversation.
Cross-promotion - Make sure that your fan page URL is advertised on your business card, email signature, website, and across other social media properties (Twitter, Tumblr, MySpace, etc.).
Fan Box - To quickly convert your website visitors into Facebook fans, add a Fan Box. If the visitor is logged into Facebook, a simple click (without ever leaving your site) will do the trick.
Live Stream Box - If you're live streaming a game, coaches clinic, or lecture on your website, embed a Live Stream Box to allow visitors to connect, share, and post updates in real-time as they witness the event. The NBA achieved a lot of success with this development during All-Star Weekend.
Build Your Brand Offline - Fan pages are profiles for brands. The reason why the NBA, USA Basketball, and Michael Jordan have over a million fans each is because their offline brands are easily recognized, well respected, and have a ton of reach. Unfortunately, your new DVD series on attacking a 2-3 zone isn't quite there yet. The aforementioned brands have been in our consciousness for years, well before the advent of Facebook and its fan pages.
Is it just me, or does Twitter create an unfair advantage for John Calipari'sUniversity of Kentucky recruiting platform?
Once upon a time, Calipari and Indiana University head basketball coach, Tom Crean, raced for Twitter followers. On Monday, April 27, 2009 - less than three short months ago - the scoreboard read:
Calipari: 9,323 followers; Crean: 2,175 followers
If you want to irritate social media purists and count followers as the all important performance metric, then by all means, Calipari was running a clinic on Crean. But, we're talking about two luminaries in college basketball whose names and programs are constantly in the spotlight. That race could have went either way.
Today, the Twitter scoreboard conveys an image of Calipari's starters executing a full court press against Crean's walk-ons in a home court lambasting with two minutes left in the game:
Over the last three months Calipari's following increased nearly fifty-fold, while Crean enjoyed "only" a modest quadrupling in his subscriber base.
Trust me, Calipari is no Twitter genius.
Of course the lucrative contract - and subsequent publicity - with one of college basketball's most successful programs helped Coach Cal enjoy some expansion. Even the negative press stemming from Derrick Rose's SAT cheating allegations translated into more followers for UK's newest basketball steward.
While both events did draw considerable online attention to Calipari, neither - taken separately or in combination - were directly responsible for the mass explosion of his Twitter base.
So who's to blame? Or thank (from Calipari's perspective)?
Twitter.
That's right. The harmless micro-blogging platform launched a "Suggested Users" feature some months ago in response to a "certain percentage of new users that were signing up and then not following anyone." According to Twitter, "When you don't follow any other accounts, the product is not as relevant as it could be. To improve the user experience, [we] started suggesting some accounts to follow. As a result, new users are much more engaged and active."
Enter John Calipari. The only NCAA coach that I found on the "Suggested Users" list.
That's all fine and dandy if you're an average Joe using the service. However, if my name is Billy Donovan or Bruce Pearl, or any other SEC coach for that matter, I'm definitely not enjoying this feature! In fact, I'm probably cursing the blue-bleeding "Twitter Scientist" that selected Calipari as a suggested user; or I'm barking up the NCAA's tree citing unfair advantages in the recruiting game.
There are plenty of talented high school basketball players toying with Twitter. When a 15, 16 or 17 year old sees Calipari's popularity, coupled with his program's lore and elite playing conditions, you bet they're going to be tuning in to his Tweets. Since Calipari's Twitter timeline is public, following him is not even necessary to see what he's writing. Potentially, and I use that term loosely given the amount of robots patrolling the service and easy cluttering of Twitter timelines, every 140 character (or less) message that Calipari writes can reach up to 460K people.
That type of reach would even leave 6'10" UK Forward, Daniel Orton, jealous. And let's face it, recruiting is all about communication.
All of this begs the question: why do I care?
Obviously, and thankfully, I'm not out on the recruiting trail going head-to-head with Calipari looking for impact players. I'm also not a rival Louisville fan looking to blow the whistle on a UK team that is going to be dominant this upcoming season.
Frankly, I'm just mad that I once reigned supreme on the WeFollow.com basketball rankings. Along came the suggested Calipari and the Raptors' Chris Bosh, (who Charlie Villanueva recently raced to 50K followers), and now I'm a mere bronze medalist.
Am I a conspiracy theorist? Or does Twitter's "Suggested User" feature create an unfair advantage for Coach Cal?
Please leave your thoughts below in the comments section and follow me to help catch up.
“Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals.” – Dr. James Naismith
Today I caught up with On Court Player Development CEO, Mike Eddy. Mike joined the youth sports landscape in 2004 as Director of Business Development for the Suwanee Sports Academy. Because of Mike's talent and leadership abilities he quickly ascended to President & COO where he took over all day-to-day operations of the business. Over the past few years, he has played a key role in leading change and managing numerous business initiatives, including the development of the On Court Player Development® program.
During his tenure at the helm of Suwanee Sports Academy and On Court Player Development®, he has led the successful development and launch of numerous new service offerings. He created a sales and marketing organization and led the strategic repositioning and re-branding efforts. Mike has also played a key role in the implementation and development of company management systems, including operational planning and organization, financial reporting, and management feedback. He has also pointed the management of many key strategic partnership and vendor relations.
Mike has also served as a financial analyst with Asset Management Advisors, an affiliate of SunTrust Bank, and his team managed almost $500 million in assets. From coaching youngsters to his tireless dedication implementing a vision for a better youth basketball environment across the country, Mike's passion for the sport of basketball is clear. He also played college basketball at the University of the South, better known as Sewanee. While there, he earned numerous academic and athletic awards before graduating Summa Cum Laude and earning a Bachelors degree with honors in economics. Mike is currently finishing an Executive MBA program at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and is a renowned amateur triathlete.
Player development, or lack thereof, in youth basketball has been a hot button as of late; how does On Court Player Development contribute to improving the quality of instruction and development at the youth level?
We work with existing youth organizations already running leagues, camps and/or clinics to provide them access to standardized curriculum, coaches certification, online training for coaches and athletes, manuals and technology solutions to improve the way the game is taught, organized and played. A typical organization would be a Recreation Department, YMCA, High School Feeder System or other community program. The idea is to lay the right foundation. We also work with private facilities to help them establish more robust and ongoing player development programs so the kids that want to go to the next level after participating with one of our community partners have a solution.
Online technologies have increased access to basketball instructional modules for players, coaches, parents, and even referees. In what ways does On Court Player Development leverage the web to carry out its mission?
Technology is a means to an end for us. Our goal is to make basketball instruction, certification, materials and tools available to basketball community around the country and ultimately around the world. Technology allows us to make things accessible in places it will take us too long to get to ourselves, and more importantly, make it available at a price point - if not free - that nearly any program can afford.
The NBA and NCAA have recently united through the upcoming iHoops.com venture to "provide a structure and develop programs to improve the quality of youth basketball in order to enhance the athletic, educational and social experience of the participants." What are your thoughts on this partnership?
We have had numerous conversations with Kevin Weiberg (CEO of iHoops) since he was brought on board to head the joint venture between NBA and the NCAA and are excited about its prospects. Ultimately, change will have to come from the bottom up, but the NBA and NCAA have the clout together to motivate the necessary change from the top down. I think it's still going to take time and patience, but it’s a good sign that the two most powerful basketball organizations in the world are saying, "We have a problem and we must address it." Time will tell how well the problem gets addressed, but I think they are trying to do the right thing. I think both organizations recognized that youth basketball is the pipeline for their future product and they need to do more to protect it.
If you could wave a magic wand to create a healthy system for youth basketball in this country, what would it look like? What changes need to be made structurally and philosophically?
Most people are focusing on the NBA and NCAA rules and structure and there are all sorts of opinions about what should be done. I have heard a lot of good ideas, but honestly our focus is not on the Top 40 or so high school players in the country. Whatever happens, my guess is there will be a lot of lawyers that make some hefty fees on any changes. I think the biggest structural and philosophical challenge impacts almost every kid that picks up a ball in this country. For the most part, there is a total lack of coach training and education at all levels of basketball that I would love to see addressed. Our youth programs need to focus more attention on educating their coaches and parents. They need a better understanding of the development process as it relates to the child in general and basketball specifically. I have been traveling the country extensively this year talking to people in charge of many large basketball organizations. Without a doubt the number one concern is the lack of understanding and knowledge possessed by coaches, parents and even the kids in their programs.
On Court has quite the staff, grassroots advisory board, and legends council. How do you maximize these resources in your day to day work?
We have been fortunate enough to have some great people get involved because of their desire to give back to the game. We have some outstanding and talented business people as well as some great basketball people. These resources help in numerous ways from contributing “content,” providing advice and insight, making appearances, providing introductions and general support. I think we get a lot out of everyone involved because we are all passionate about our mission: to impact kids in a positive way both on and off the court.
If we rolled out a ball right now amongst your legends council. Who wins in a game of 21?
That’s a tough one. I am going to go with Herb Brown. He may be the most senior member of our legends council, but I think his experience would pay off. Plus, I don’t think anyone else would be able to match his scrappiness on the boards, which is critical for success in a competitive game of 21.
I would like to make an argument that being a Program Director for PeacePlayers International is one of the best jobs in the world. PeacePlayers International uses the game of basketball to unite and educate children and their communities in conflict regions around the world including South Africa, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, and the Middle East. We work on the simple yet powerful premise that "children who play together can learn to live together". Working as a Program Director over the past two and a half years in Israel and the West Bank I have seen the power of basketball bridge divides, develop leaders, and change perceptions, and I have felt privileged to be a part of such an amazing program.
Bridging Divides
As part of PeacePlayers International - Middle East's (PPI-ME) Twinned Clubs Basketball program we pair up Arab and Jewish teams who practice twice a week in their local community. Twice a month they come together to partake in joint activities called Twinnings composed of integrated basketball practices, clinics, and games played on mixed Arab and Jewish teams. Later in the year, Arab and Jewish players compete on mixed teams in Peace Basketball Leagues and tournaments. Playing together they see and experience each other as people and are able to form friendships.
Developing Leaders
PPI - ME works with children between the ages of 10-16. During my time in the Middle East, I was able to see our players grow from children to young adults. The graduates of the PPI - ME's Twinned Clubs Basketball program serve as assistant coaches and role models in their local communities. As part of PPI - ME's Leadership Development Program, these veteran players participate in volunteer activities and play on an integrated team of Arab and Jewish players.
Changing Perceptions
Arab and Jewish children live in neighborhoods right next to each other, but they go to different schools and have separate social groups. PPI-ME programming gives these children the opportunity to interact with each other in a fun and energetic environment. Furthermore, player's parents and friends come together to cheer on PPI-ME integrated teams at games and tournaments. The Arab girls in our program are also changing the gender perceptions of what their role and expectations are in their communities. Playing basketball gives them an outlet to learn leadership, life skills, and sport.
Chris Dortch has covered college basketball for almost 30 years, dating back to his days as sports editor of his college student newspaper. He covered golf, college football and college basketball for five newspapers in Virginia, Tennessee and Florida before taking over the editor's chair for Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook in 1996.
Since that time, Dortch designed and began editing Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook. His writings about college basketball have appeared in numerous magazines and websites. Dortch has also worked as a college basketball correspondent for Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News.
In his spare time, he's written four books, including String Music: Inside the Rise of SEC Basketball, and has taught sports writing at his alma mater.
I've been reading your Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook since my early high school playing days (roughly 1994). It was, and still is, "the" resource for college basketball junkies, coaches, media personnel, and the like. Please talk to us about how you got involved and eventually acquired this publication.
I can’t even remember the year I first came across Blue Ribbon, but like any other college hoops fan who sees the book for the first time, I was slack jawed. I immediately went home and wrote Chris Wallace, who was the founder and editor at the time, and asked if I could write for the book. That’s how I got involved. He later sold Blue Ribbon to me and Joe Lunardi when his NBA duties prevented him from being able to run it. Joe and I teamed up for several years, but he eventually became a full-time Bracketologist (he even coined the phrase), and I took over editing the book, which I’ve done since 1996. I’ve been in partnership with two different groups since then but recently completed a deal to acquire majority ownership.
What is the most satisfying part of putting this publication together each year? How many people are involved?
The most satisfying part of my job is knowing how much people appreciate the book. I try to take care over every word, whether I’m writing or editing someone else’s work. I make sure that the stories are as complete as they can be, because that’s what our fans have come to expect. We have more than 30 writers, editors and designers working on the production end and another team of support personnel to handle the business end. The book is only as good as the people involved, and we’ve got great people. In particular, our senior associate editor Craig Ladd and director Christina Carden are stalwarts. I couldn’t imagine doing this project, or our sister publication Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, without them.
As an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, you teach Sports Writing and Advanced Sports Writing. How have you seen the sports writing profession evolve since you first entered the business?
Technology has come a long way since I first got into the business. So that’s the biggest evolution. The vehicle through which our work is read has changed drastically. When I was coming up we had no choice but to read the newspaper. Now we might read stories on an iPhone or Blackberry, as well as our computers.
The Internet has changed the production cycle of the news, too. I can remember sitting on a scoop and praying a rival paper wouldn’t get it until after my paper hit the stands. These days, when a reporter gets a scoop, they had better run with it on every mode of communication they’ve got—Twitter, Facebook, blogs, websites, etc.
The one thing that hasn’t changed, and I tell my students this all the time, is that no technology has taken the place of eyes and ears, and even our noses. And it never will! Without the power of observation, we can’t be good reporters. And if we can’t report well, neither can we write well. I tell my students to keep their eyes and ears open as soon as they get to a game, an interview or whatever. Their job is to take their readers inside a place where they couldn’t go. A good reporter serves as the reader’s eyes, ears, and even nose. I’ve written several stories where I had to mention the smell of a particular place.
Who is your all-time favorite college basketball coach? What separates him or her from the rest?
I have to go with John Wooden, not only because of his success, which will never be equaled, but the quiet grace that he still shows today, well into his 90s. The Wizard of Westwood is without equal.
Any early Final Four predictions for 2009-2010?
I have to go with Kansas, Michigan State, Villanova and North Carolina. Yes, I like the Tar Heels despite their heavy loss of personnel. They’re still loaded, and Roy Williams is one of the game’s top minds.
Please tell our readers where they can purchase a copy of this invaluable resource?
Our new website, www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com, is on the verge of being completed and will offer 24/7 service. We also have a toll-free number, 877-807-4857, where orders are taken during normal business hours. That’s up and running now. The book will also be available in selected bookstores around the country. We’re still working on which ones, but I’ll keep our fans informed through our Facebook page.
Designed for coaches on all levels, the inaugural New Heights Coaches Academy will feature some of the nation's very best basketball coaches. Come gain insight on:
- Building and running a championship-level program X's and O's - Offensive and defensive principles - Player development techniques
Featuring:
- Keno Davis - Providence College - Billy Donovan - University of Florida - Sean Miller - University of Arizona - Norm Roberts - St. John's University - Buzz Williams - Marquette University - Jay Wright - Villanova University
Details:
When: Saturday, September 12, 2009 Where: Poly Prep High School, 9216 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11228 How: Online registration can be completed at www.newheightsnyc.org How Much: $125/coach before September 5th; $150/coach after September 5th
For more information, contact:
Kimani Young, New Heights Athletic Director kyoung@newheightsnyc.org or 718.974.7110
"Streetball as a big business is dead. SLAM happily rode shotgun during its rise, taking in Mixtape Tour games from coast to coast and publishing a special Streetball issue five straight summers. But the popularity continued to wane, and now its come to this." - SLAM Magazine
To put the above excerpt into context, "this" refers to an email message SLAM received from And 1 about its corporate decision to indefinitely suspend the And 1 Mixtape Tour in lieu of focusing on philanthropic inititaves.
Honorable? Yes. Implicative? I think so.
There's no questioning the economy's restraining impacts on executing a multi-city streetball tour. However, you don't have to go far to notice that streetball's verve has worn off. This was inevitible. Packaging a pure and artful endeavor into a traveling sideshow was bound to overrun its already limited shelf life, and leave behind a dark cloud over the local run.
But clouds, too, shall pass. Much like the overall U.S. economy, streetball's appeal is cyclical in nature. We all knew the housing bubble was going to burst when the average Joe, with no money or collateral, was scoffing up and flipping investment properties. The same pattern existed in streetball. The day I heard a fifty-year-old white guy from the 'burbs - who never picked up a ball in his life - start spouting off streetball monikers like "Spyda," "Escalade," and "The Professor," I knew the end was near.
Don't start writing streetball's eulogy just yet. Corporate interests may have receded and the sport's secondary fan base may have tapered off, but don't you think that's a good thing? In my opinion, the essence of playground basketball resides in its purity and passion from the niche-based junkies and not from TV contracts or mixtapes.
Streetball is not dead. It's in a recession, predictably a drawn out one, and it was rooted by greed and self-interest.
All basketball hoops are not created equal. A consistent manufacturing label notwithstanding, the installation process and surrounding environment for a basketball goal leave room for considerable discrepancies.
But how much impact can this have on your game?
We've all witnessed or personally experienced a mid-range jumper that teetered around the rim for 5 or 6 bounces before gently passing through the net. And we've all put up shots that have caromed off the back of the iron like some sort of projectile (I, more so, than others).
So what gives?
As you can probably discern, physics are involved. Speed and direction of a bounding basketball are actually influenced by the hoop's material make-up. NBA backboards are one-half inch thick and made from tempered glass, resulting in an ideal ball-to-backboard interaction that gives players much more rebound predictability. Breakaway rims behave similarly, and reduce the possibility of shattering the backboard--always a plus when you attempt to take a charge on me.
Creating a high-end shooting environment is important and SuperiorHoops.com, a basketball equipment website, is willing to subtract 20% off their products to make this notion more possible.
I recently caught up with some of the staff members from New Heights NYC - Nick Blatchford (Founder and Executive Director), Ted Smith (Program Director), and Kimani Young (Athletic Director) - a non-profit educational organization that seeks to inspire inner-city youth to be leaders, champions, and student-athletes, and to empower them to be successful in school, college and life. New Heights creates opportunities and provides support for promising youth to fulfill their potential in the classroom, on the court and in the community.
Take us back to the inception of New Heights NYC. As a former NYC public school teacher, what provoked you to start a non-profit organization that focuses on academics and athletics? What were some of the early challenges that stood in your way to get the program off the ground?
Nick: New Heights was started as a response to a need. During my time as a teacher and coach at IS 90 in Washington Heights, it became clear to me that young people need two things to be successful: support and structure. And talented young athletes, beyond what they can do on the field or court, often don't get either. They too often get exploited for their athletic talent at the expense of their academic and social development. They also grow up with a mindset of 'NBA or bust,' which almost always ends up as 'bust'.
New Heights was founded to provide structure and support - academic and social - that will allow young athletes to use the game of basketball to enhance and improve their lives and afford them opportunities, rather than for the game (and some people around the game) to use them.
There were a ton of challenges when we first began. First, the NYC youth basketball community did not immediately accept us. We were the new guys on the block and nobody made it easy on us to build our program. Second, running a program that balances STUDENT with athlete was not widely accepted by kids, even some parents and coaches in our program. For some, all that mattered was basketball. Third, we were intent on not just building a basketball program, but an organization that supports the holistic development of the young athlete from the inner city - on the court, in the classroom and in terms of their character. We aim to set them up for success in life when the ball stops bouncing. Building a basketball program is one thing, but building, organizing, staffing and funding an organization that is built to last poses significant challenges.
New Heights appears to stand out in the AAU landscape because of its authentic emphasis on academics and teaching life skills, which includes an intensive summer program at the heralded Riverdale Academy. What's a typical day look like at the Academy for NH student-athletes? How does the Academy and NH's program prepare student-athletes to succeed in life?
Ted: The Summer Academy is a continuation of the year round program at New Heights. The Summer Academy is an intensive four week program for middle school student-athletes that takes place on the campus of the Riverdale Country School in the Bronx. The participants spend the morning in the classroom taking Math, ELA and elective courses that all use basketball as the focus of the curriculum. After lunch, the student-athletes spend the afternoon in the gym working on basketball skills and fundamentals.
The Summer Academy helps middle school student-athletes prepare for the next year in school, and it also exposes and prepares student-athletes for the high school process in 8th grade. A vital part of the New Heights program is providing high school and college placement support, and the Summer Academy is a time (at a relatively early age) that student-athletes and families can start focusing on high school, and ultimately, college selection.
Your Summer in the City event at St. John's is quickly approaching; What marquee names (teams and players) have confirmed their participation? Is this event open to fans?
Kimani: We are extremely excited to be hosting the Summer In The City event out at St. John's. We have received confirmation from a majority of the elite teams in the Northeast including the NJ Playaz, Metro Hawks, Juice All-Stars, LI Panthers, NY Elite, Sports University, Westchester Hawks, Connecticut Basketball Club, LI Lightning, New Heights and Team NJABC. We'll have a tremendous collection of talent participating in this event with many of the players being ranked in the Top 100 in their respective classes by many of the scouting services and websites. You can look forward to watching Jayvaughn Pinkston, Ashton Pankey, Devon Collier, Isaiah Epps, Sterling Gibbs, Jermaine Sanders, Angel Nunez, Maurice Harkless, Sidiki Johnson and a host of many other talented young players.
I recently posed a question on Facebook and Twitter seeking to learn more about the high-level problems that exist in youth basketball. The recurrent theme amongst respondents was poor coaching quality. a) Do you agree? b) Does New Heights offer any training and development for their coaches or outside coaches?
Kimani: Absolutely, I've maintained for years that the fact that there is no pre-requisite to become a youth basketball coach has damaged the fabric of our game from a coaching, playing and participation standpoint.
There are a great deal of coaches out there who are doing great youth work with our kids but need to be trained on how to be effective youth basketball coaches. New Heights has recognized this issue and will be hosting a Coaches Academy this fall for our coaches as well as outside coaches with a number of the country's top college coaches including Jay Wright, Billy Donovan, Sean Miller, Buzz Williams, and Norm Roberts confirmed to speak and lend their years of coaching experience to youth, high school and college coaches in this area.
You've come a long way since you were housed under the Children's Aid Society and I'm sure much continued success is still in front of you. How do you define success, in general, for NH, and what does ultimate success look like for the organization?
Nick: That's a really good question. We measure a series of program outcomes for our student-athletes. First, we measure academic performance and year to year advancement in school. Second, we measure high school graduation and college matriculation rates. Those things are important to us. Many of our kids are high level D1 recruits, but most are not. It is our responsibility to ALL kids and families in our program to help them access the very best options and opportunities to receive a college education, regardless of how heavily they are recruited.
On a broader level, we are going to be exploring ways to better serve this population of kids - promising young athletes from the inner city - and that could include other sports, scaling our model beyond NYC and/or looking at school-based solutions for enhancing the learning and developmental experience for the kids we work with. There is no shortage of need and we want to make the biggest and broadest impact possible.
It’s all about the history of dozens of African American basketball teams that played before the racial integration of the N.B.A., from 1904 through 1950.
Claude Johnson, the founder and president of Black Fives, Inc., created the company with nothing but his library card. “I’ve always liked history, but history is limited unless we make it meaningful for today,” Johnson says.
What is Black Fives?
As you know, there were dozens of African American basketball teams that played prior to the racial integration of professional basketball, during a period - from the early 1900s through 1950 - that is known as the Black Fives Era. "Fives" referred to the five starting players on a basketball team. All-black teams were known as colored quints, colored fives, Negro fives, or "black fives." This period in sports history is known as the Black Fives Era.
What’s been your involvement and how did you do it?
Since 1999, my company has been the world’s leading steward and resource for the history of the Black Fives Era of basketball. That year, we began trademarking the names and logos of the dozens of all‐black teams we were discovering through our research, including those of the Rens. We also began building strong and trusted relations with the descendants of the pioneers who contributed to the development of basketball among African Americans during that time, and collecting what has become a modest archive of historical materials and related content. Simultaneously – through strategic marketing and merchandising – we created a popular, recognizable, and profitable consumer brand around those efforts. One aspect of that was our production of throwback jerseys for these once‐forgotten teams. As a result, the Black Fives brand – and therefore, this history – has gotten prominent exposure on top‐rated television and radio programs, in leading national and international magazines and newspapers, on highly ranked websites and blogs, with iconic musicians and entertainers, and on celebrated professional athletes.
When and how did you get started on this project?
I started doing research on the Black Fives Era in 1996, the year that the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary. They published an 800‐page book called the “NBA Encyclopedia of Basketball” that only included three pages of mention about two African American teams that played before the league, namely the New York Renaissance and the Harlem Globetrotters. But I knew from Arthur Ashe’s book, “A Hard Road To Glory” – which was published around that time – that there were many more teams, because he briefly mentioned quite a few of them. That made me very curious, but no one knew anything – not the league historians, not the Hall of Fame, not the Library of Congress. No one. So I decided to check it out myself and so began my research.
Has the Naismith Hall of Fame ever featured your work as an exhibit or done anything topromote the early African American contributions to basketball? If not, are there anyplans for that in the future?
No, they haven’t, although we’ve talked about it in the past, but they’re facing a difficult financial climate right now and have been for a while. They did at one time have some cardboard-mounted images and text on display showing some aspects of the history. THey may also have one of my replica New York Rens jerseys still on display. However, the hunger desire for such an exhibit continues to exist.
What remains a mystery? What knowledge do you hope to gain in your continuedsearch?
As with much of history, often we simply don't know what we don't know. It helps that we have been finding and hearing from the descendants of the players and contributors, who have been sharing their information and materials with us over the years.
What’s been your most important contribution?
In short, we’ve managed to put the history of the Black Fives Era “on the map.”
Have you thought about offering a history course at a local college or university? This could be a valuable course.
I am creating a course right now called How You Can Make History Now. It combines the powerful messages, positive lessons, and fascinating history of the Black Fives Era with the teachings of today's most enlightened thought leaders - using the Black Fives brand as a vehicle - to show people how they can improve their day-to-day well-being in areas like health, wealth, happiness, and personal growth.
I'm talking about practical solutions that impact jobs, promotions, confidence, attitudes, purpose, expertise, finances, and relationships as well as areas like overcoming hurdles, raising kids, developing leadership skills, and more.
This will be an extraordinary offering, available as a comprehensive audio-course full of structured teachings, exercises, storytelling, examples, and homework. I'll conduct the course, and I'll also have an abbreviated version available for live tele-seminars and for personal appearances.
What else is next for you and the Black Fives brand?
For our part, we’re continuing the marketing, promotion, and merchandising of the Black Fives brand in other areas, so our visibility will continue to grow and expand.
One of our goals is to involve the National Basketball Association in the merchandising and licensing of the logos of the Black Fives Era. If they were involved, then they could strategically place selected N.B.A. teams in the old uniforms to commemorate and embrace this history, which made the success of their league possible in the first place. For example, the New York Knicks could wear the old Harlem Rens jerseys a couple of times during a season. This would not only increase their sales revenue but also improve their goodwill among players and the communities surrounding their teams as well as the overall awareness of this history. I
’m also in the middle of writing a book, or two. A book that definitively chronicles the history of the Black Fives Era will have an impact on the amount and new types of content available and the way it’s distributed. It will also increase the number of appearances I can make to further educate people about how lessons from the Black Fives Era can be applied today. These pioneers created something from nothing, and kept escalating to higher and bigger levels of success despite steep odds. If they did it, we can too. This is supported by our company slogan, “Make History Now!” I believe that having a book published will also expand and accelerate the range of ideas for where to go next with the brand. The other book will be more personal, in which I’ll share my thoughts, feelings, insights, and experiences with “fatherhood” – that is, the magnificence and purpose of being a father.
One other brand‐related initiative we’d like to see is better preservation of this history. Over the years, many of the descendants of players and contributors from this period have approached me to ask what they should do with their scrapbooks, photographs, journals, correspondences, and other materials. Although we have an extensive collection of our own, my hands have always been tied in terms of helping them. That’s because, ultimately, these papers and artifacts – ours, and those of others – demand handling by professionals with “white glove” treatment and proper facilities. It’s gotten to the point now – in terms of research, education, administration, and preservation – where we need to take our “archive” efforts to another level. Furthermore, this history is begging to be surrounded by academic energy and access for the community. So we’ve discussed this with one or two institutions that might be able to help, and we’re very open to more of that.
In spirit of my 150th blog entry, I decided to canvass the Twittersphere and probe my Facebook friends list to come up with "150 reasons to love the game of basketball."
For those of you who share in my addiction of Dr. Naismith's creation, the aggregated and alphabetized list below should keep you sleeping soundly at night. Obviously, by no means exhaustive, I ask you to please leave YOUR unlisted reasons for loving the game in the comments section below.
And, if you don't mind, please share this list with fellow hoops junkies. Many thanks to all who had participated.
Recent June rains left many oft motivated individuals hankering for a kick in the pants. Hence, I bring you the most in vogue but harshly forgotten man of action:
Leroy Smith.
To lose consciousness of Leroy's bearing in basketball history is at best, gross negligence, and at worst, well....considering Leroy's shtick is for "motivizing the world, including Canada," we're going to leave that one alone.
Everyone knows Michael Jordan; but many people remain unaware of the man who provoked His Airness to an enduring perception of greatness. That man is Leroy Smith. Three decades after outplaying MJ for Laney High's 12th man slot- and thereby activating Jordan's insatiable drive for success - Leroy Smith has emerged from the shadows of MJ's recent Hall of Fame induction announcement.
If you also feel that the game of basketball is being cheated by not co-inducting Leroy, please sign the petition and pass along, retweet, and share this link on Facebook.
After being suspended in relative obscurity over the last 30 years, you've formed a ubiquitous presence online during the last month. Are you experiencing a midlife crisis? What's going on?
I’m not a man who needs the spotlight. Yes, I need a little light, like a nice corner lamp or one of those bendable lights you attach to your bed so you can read at night, but I was happy doing my own thing, staying behind the scenes. However, after I found out MJ was being inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame, with absolutely no mention of the man who single-handedly motivated him to greatness, i.e., me, I felt like it was my responsibility to get the true story out into the world.
Your song, "My Gift to the Game" has become a fixture in iPod rotations worldwide. Who can we expect to hear on the remix? And how do you protect yourself from piracy?
“My Gift” is such a personal song to me. When I wrote it, I immediately inspired myself to another level, so I can only imagine the inspirational effect that it has had on others who aren’t me. Yes, there is a remix in the works. I can’t divulge too many of the details, but let’s just say you’ve never heard an oboe do things like this with a glockenspiel before.
As for piracy my personal feeling is that, just like my motivation, all my music is meant to be shared and enjoyed by the world. If some bearded, eye-patch-wearing sailor thief needs my music, he should have it. Do you think Charles Dickens would ask an orphan not to read Annie? Of course not.
I want that sailor thief to be motivized and enjoy my music too. And I bet they don’t even have music players out at sea, so who’s really getting hurt anyway?
Wearing gloves while executing ball handling drills has long been a technique for improving one's control of the rock. You seem to keep the gloves on for all drills in all videos. Do you know something I don't know?
Yes, I probably know a lot of things. One is that these gloves were given to me by my late grandpa Artemis. He was named after Artemis, the Greek God of hunting and wild animals. He once choked a water buffalo to death wearing these gloves. He wore them every day from the time he was 6 until he died at 82 in a freak water sprinkler accident. He taught me how to manipulate the gloves so that they acted as a third hand. He called it the “glove hand”. Now wearing these gloves I can execute any drill known to man or alien-beings, or some mix of the two. The gloves are also flame-retardant, water-proof and surprisingly easy to clean.
Your reverse fade haircut is a strong part of your personal brand. If this catches on amongst the NBA's elite, will David Stern exclude this from accepted dress code policy?
Just so we’re clear here, I am not bald. I have my hair cut this way every Tuesday by my good friend Jarome down at the barbershop. If it catches on will the Commish exclude it? Probably. Why? Because it’s fresh. It’s flashy. It’s unique. It stands out and says “look at me, I can climb rock walls or hang glide or if I feel like it build really cool sculptures.” There is a freedom that comes with this hairstyle that I think scares Stern. Like MJ’s gold chains and baggy shorts when he was a rookie or Dikembe Mutombo’s voice. But, am I gonna sit here and apologize for being a trendsetter or an icon, or a lower level god-like human? No sir, I am not.
As a trained organizational psychologist I've studied many motivational theories in graduate school, but none more groundbreaking than your 3 pillars of success: Motivize, Pulverize, and Realize. Exclusive of Michael Jordan's success, is there empirical evidence to support your pillars?
Yes.
Last question. This one's for the ladies. We all know Leroy Smith has been "Getting his basketball on" as of late. Given your command for style, articulateness, and meteoric rise to fame, has Leroy Smith also been getting his freak on? How are the motivized women treating your success?
You know I am a man who appreciates women of all colors and races. The words you speak are very true. I do have a command for style, articulateness, fame, language, science, biology, rudimentary archeology and the “it” factor. However, at this moment I am dedicating myself to motivation. Think of me as a mastervational monk who has the power to meditate shirtless at below-freezing temperatures. Right now, my energy and focus is on motivizing the world.
After I finish doing that, though, I am definitely interested in finding that one special lady I can spend the rest of my life with. That’s a rare gem. I compare her to a golden Mayan statue hidden in some ancient jungle ruins. To find her you first must find a special sun necklace key to open a giant stone gate. Then you gotta pass multiple treacherous, booby-trap tests where there are skeletons and scorpions and old people. And only when you pass those tests do you get the love of the golden statue and find that person that you want to grow old with in Florida.
