"You can do more good by being good than any other way."
Coach John Wooden
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(616) 402-1600 BasketballBasics@charter.net
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Interested in becoming a sponsor and supporter of Basketball Basics? We work with hundeds of kids and families in Michigan. We never permit the fee to prevent a player from attending. If you'd like to be a part of a vibrant organization AND help kids, consider becoming a sponsor.
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Coach John Wooden is the basis of what we do at Basketball Basics. His accomplishments as a coach and mentor can not be overstated. Coach Wooden died on June 4, 2010 at the age of 99. For those interested in learning more about his legacy, this New York Times article is a strong summary of the man.
"In an age where too much emphasis is put on "street ball", basketball fundamentals are clearly being sacrificed for one-on-one moves, individual egos and overall flashy play."
"Basketball Basics is exactly what we need from the very youngest levels through high school."
"Coach McGannon is an excellent coach and an excellent person. I would place him in the extremely high end of the coaching spectrum. He would be an asset to any young person looking to improve in the game of basketball."
Jeremy Andres
Basketball Coach
Mona Shores High School
andresj@monashores.net
Congratulations to Evan Bruinsma (pictured below), named Class D Michigan's Player of the Year. We worked with Evan multiple times during his middle and early high school years. Evan has accepted a scholarship to play ball at the University of Detroit. Additionally, he was contacted by Harvard, Davidson, Northeastern, Ferris, Idaho State, Air Force and others. These college contacts have been made directly through our Player Profile service.
Over 90% of the players who attend our Camps and Pre-Season sessions make their school teams. We have over 3 dozen players now at the collegiate level.
"I can easily tell when you have worked with our players, they are so much better developed and further along, from their basic skills to their competitive understanding of the game."
– Bob Whipkey, Grand Haven Public Schools Whipkey@ghaps.org
Coach John Wooden of UCLA is referred to frequently in Basketball Basics camps and clinics. His organization, skill development and motivation created the benchmark against which coaches are measured. Among the many quotes Coach Wooden is credited with, my favorite is below. The personal habits of conduct, attitude, attention and effort apply both on and off the court.
"It begins with the positionining of the feet and good body balance. We spend a lot of time getting the players to understand the messages that come from the brain to the feet. The emphasis will be on teaching the quick and proper execution of the fundamentals AND on being considerate of others. We stress conduct, attitude, attention and effort. Our subject is not just basketball, but helping aid in the development of the full personality."
— comment from Coach Wooden that also describes the core values of Basketball Basics. A fuller list of Wooden-isms can be found here.
Coach McGannon, I enjoyed our visit this morning and appreciate the work you are doing through Basketball Basics. Because of teachers and coaches like you, Coach Wooden's philosophy and principles will continue to impact countless lives. I'm sorry that you never met him but you certainly have a connection in common values, the family is aware of your organization. He respected and appreciated what you are doing. He felt there was no higher calling than being a teacher/coach and felt there was tremendous responsibility that came with it. To make that point, he often said:
"No written word, no spoken plea can teach our youth what they should be. Nor all the books on all the shelves, it's what the teachers are themselves."
Keep up the good work, you are on the right track.
Best wishes for continued success.
Bobby Field
Assistant Athletic Director, U.C.L.A
It's not all about basketball, that's for sure. 40 second video emphasizing SCHOOL 1st with our youngest players.
Wall Street Journal article on AAU, skill development and how many of our top American players are sorely lacking in the game's basic skills. Skills defeat athleticism. This briefly explains the explosion of foreign born players at the collegiate and professional levels. It takes courage and commitment to sharpen our skills. While athleticism is a precious commodity, no other sport relies LESS on pure athletic skill than basketball. This explains why at the highest levels of the game (College and Pro) there are so many players from overseas.
Coach Van Gundy is a little less politically correct in explaining this loss of skills in this 2:45 video clip.
Jay Bilas also supports and enunciates clearly our position toward competitive basketball in this article.
"Thank you very much for putting together instruction/leagues/camps to develop players in West Michigan! At Michigan, we strive to be solid fundamentally on the offensive end and to frustrate teams with our defense, so we are definitely on your side! You are running things in a terrific fashion....keep up the great work."
Sincerely,
– Dawn Plitzuweit
Womens Assistant Basketball Coach
University of Michigan
Dawn was Grand Valley State's head coach when they won the Division 2 National Championship in 2006. She has since moved on to U of M.