MIDGET GIRLS TCBL CHAMPIONS: 2009, 2011

MIDGET BOYS TCBL CHAMPIONS: 2003, 2007, 2011

JUNIOR GIRLS TCBL CHAMPIONS: 2004, 2011

JUNIOR BOYS TCBL CHAMPIONS: 1995, 2005, 2009, 2010

SENIOR GIRLS TCBL CHAMPIONS: 1995, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009

SENIOR BOYS TCBL CHAMPIONS: 1995, 1997, 2005, 2007, 2012

I am pleased to announce the Saints Basketball & Life Skills camp scheduled for July 9-12 at St. Gregory the Great. Below is the registration form and brochure. For four full days, every camper will be challenged at every experience level to be the best they can be on the court (and beyond). Hope you can make it!

John Rechkemer, Director of Basketball

19 sixth and seventh grade female student-athletes are participating in the offseason basketball workout program with girls basketball program at Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School. The group consists of female student-athletes from St. Gregory, Christ the King, St. Pius, and St. Matthew; among the 19 girls, 6 of them are from St. Gregory. The program consists of conditioning workouts, work to improve fundamental skills, and competing & interacting with current BSCHS girls basketball players. The highlight of the program will be playing in the team camp at the University of North Carolina in late June. The 19 girls will be divided into 2 teams according to grade. The teams will be playing 8 games and participate in clinics in the 3-day camp. The competition will be coming from all over the United States. It is a great way for the girls to see and play against top competition.

The offseason is the time where players improve their skills but it's not just the players that need to improve their skills, coaches also need to do the same. One of the key components of a team getting better is by coaches improving their knowledge and skills as a basketball coach. Players get better because their coaches decided to get better. So check out www.ihoops.com to help elevate your game.

Pistol Pete Maravich demonstrates the proper techniques in shooting the basketball in these videolinks:

These videos should be watched in order from top to bottom. They are in sequential order.

1. Setting up your shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-nV0Gzof_0

2. Shooting Mechanics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__k0_1QZSLM

3. Shooting Mechanics II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIq5HQwe-6k

4. Psychology of shooting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkAsk1HyFD4

5. Applying the techniques: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKLcB-tyrwo

6. Recap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNEeMaU6xdk

With the holiday break coming up, you should have plenty of time to work on your shooting.

Being a good passer means being a good decision-maker with the basketball. Many young players today struggle with passing because either they don't do it correctly or they don't practice it enough. Jason Kidd and Sue Bird are two of the best passers in the game today. Here are some passing drills from the great "Pistol" Pete Maravich that you can work on with your friends or parents: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ruz5VkBt0Q. There are some fun passes that Pete demonstrates but don't do them until you have mastered the 4 basic fundamental passes. Remember, no pass is a good pass unless your teammate catches it and if they know the ball is coming to them.

Being able to handle the basketball is probably the most important skill in the game. If you can't handle the ball, how can you shoot or pass it? How can you get the ball down the court for fast breaks? Or even be able to shoot layups. Here are 2 videolinks on how to improve your ball handling from one of the greatest ball handlers of all time, "Pistol" Pete Maravich: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NotK9smcZG0 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMhLsNsspG4

Being a good free throw shooter takes a lot of hard work and a great amount of concentration. It's the only part of the game of basketball where you can think only of yourself and still help your team. If you look at the box score of teams that lose games by 4 points or less, take a look at how many free throws they miss. Chances are, if they had made half of what they missed, they would have won the game. Here is a link of some tips on free throw shooting from one of best free throw shooters of all time, Larry Bird:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9gJaSSx_OU