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September 7, 2018For those of us in Texas, the John Lucas camp has been the Labor Day Weekend go-to for several years now. Last year, unfortunately this routine was interrupted by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. What was once a 40 player camp has turned into a weekend long basketball meeting for several facets of the girls game. Players, parents, coaches, and evaluators come from all over the country to take part.
Coming off of July, the argument could be made that this is the place to be after the summer NCAA Evaluation Period. For what it’s worth, in my opinion, this camp is the most comprehensive experience that a young player can get in this setting outside of the USA Trials (which is obviously limited by age on the respective years). They are comparable in the sense that at both events, the players have to be ready to truly compete. The structure is a bit different, but comparable in several ways as well. Concepts are taught, basketball actions are worked, skill drill time is utilized, and 5 on 5 is played to end things.
The aim is to give a quick glimpse into the experience as well as assess the concepts taught, the points emphasized, and a quick look at the improving and outstanding players from each class.
QUICK STATS (based on the roster sheet)
- 161 total players
2019 - 17 2020 - 58 2021 - 51 2022 - 28 2023 - 7
- 26 States and Washington, DC represented and a few from Canada as well:
AL, AR, CA, CO, DC, DE, GA, IN, IL, FL, KS, MI, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, TN, TX, VA
SESSIONS
Saturday First Stations (examples)
- Sprint Pull Up Elbow Jump Shots
- 2-Ball Handle
- Combo Handle Into Push Pass (Stationary)
- Zig-Zag (defender influenced dribble) + Retreat + Attack to Finish
- Full Court Zig-Handle + Pull Up
- Variety of Handle Drills into Variation of Finishes (layups, floaters)
- Catch & Shoot / Shoot out of Shot Fake
- L-Cut + Receive +Sweep + Pull Up
Saturday Group Rotation (1):
- Combine Measurables
- Court Conditioning
- Outside Strength Work
- Shooting/Finishing Work
- Catch and Shoot: Corner and Wing (1 shot and 2 shot rotations)
- Forward Jab + Return to Shot
- Shot Fake + Side Step (1 bounce, 2 bounce)
- Baseline Drive with a Physical Seal of Defender (angles and small space)
- Wing Drive with same Physical Seal Concept
- Cone Drill: 1on1 with application of Physical Seal + Finish
Saturday Group Rotation (2):
- Full Court 1on1
- 5 on 5 on 5
- Tennis Ball + Handle
- Drive, Relocate, Space, Shoot
- Handle + Change of Pace
- 1 on 1 in Lanes – Defense
- Ball Screen Reads/Actions
Saturday Game Session:
8 – 6 min Quarters || 2 Sessions
Sunday Dynamic Warm Up
Sunday Warm Up Skill Drills with Coaches
Sunday Game Session
Lucas Points
To begin Sunday Coach Lucas likes to call on a couple of players from the group and ask them to explain drills or concepts that were emphasized on the day before. He does a good job of grilling them a little bit, but also using the setting as a way to re-emphasize some of the major teaching points. In this case it was about a couple staples of basketball:
- Spacing / Movement / Re-Spacing
- Drive, Drift, Swing, Reads, etc
- The Game is Played in Triangles || 3 man game / 2 man game
He also touched on some of the “Combine Testing” from the day before – referring to the measurables taken. He made sure to explain this has ZERO to do with true basketball performance in the sense that the measurables say nothing about basketball acumen or if the player can put the ball in the hole or not. However they are a part of assessment and evaluation because they are an element of potential. But, he is quick to point out that none of it matters if you can PLAY or if you CAN’T play. Strength and Conditioning is an element of competitive sports and is a big part of basketball naturally in the way it is played now. The better condition a player is in, the better they can think, and the game is thousands of reads and decisions every night made very quickly. The game slows down when a player can think, and they can think clearer when they are in good condition.
He used Rockets FWD/C Clint Capella and PG Chris Paul as examples. The team does not function at its highest octane without Paul at the helm, yet he may not impress on the measureables scale. However, Capella (a “role” player on the team) who does have some impressive athletic measureables, may be less skilled, but is asked to run, screen, rebound, block shots, and catch lobs - things that don’t necessarily gain a lot of attention, but are hugely important - (and they rewarded him with a $90 million contract).
Coach Lucas always spends time talking about parent involvement. And he gets straight to the point… and gives plenty of nuggets of truth. He will challenge them a bit about their over-involvement and point out they try to control things that they cannot control and influence their child’s path with irrelevant things like outlandish opinions or over use of social media. He reminds them to get with someone they trust – whether its coaches or trainers or teachers – and then be attentive, but to make sure not to get in the way. He encouraged them to value the right things: opportunities to gain an education, opportunities for the young players to be challenged and face some adversity, and warned them of the social and comparison pitfalls of getting caught up in everything that can come with youth sports.
Lastly, he touched on some things he finds important in recruiting:
- System/Style of Play/Philosophy
- Be informed enough to be able to interview the coaches a little bit; ask relevant questions, ask the touch questions, and understand what they are saying
- Be careful getting caught up in the “dog and pony show” of amenities, etc.
PLAYERS
2019
Tayhanna McGhee-Pleasant (TX)
Koi Love (FL)
Jakia Brown-Turner (MD)
Ashley Owusu (VA)
Jayla James (MD)
Javyn Nicholson (GA)
McKinzie Green (TX)
Hevynne Bristow (NY)
Yanni Hendley (DE)
2020Tomia Johnson (CO)
Yasmin Ott (AR)
Keegan Sullivan (IN)
Madison Scott (MD)
Jalyn Bell (GA)
Savannah Samuel (GA)
Ashlynn Freeman (TX)
Amirah Abdur-Rahim (GA)
Khadijah Faye (FL)
Laila Blair (TX)
Jeanna Cunningham (NY)
Tamia Jones (TX)
Sahara Jones (TX)
Avery Brittingham (TX)
Myra Gordon (TX)
Deja Kelly (TX)
AC Carter (GA)
Heaven Figueroa (NY)
Aria Myers (NJ)
Mir McLean (MD)
Angel Reese (MD)
Tracy Hueston (VA)
Kayden Lawson (OH)
2021Jillian Brown (MI)
Rori Harmon (TX)
Kendra Gillispie (OK)
Kayla McPherson (GA)
Paige Lyons (VA)
Jada Walker (VA)
Mia Moore (GA)
Jessica Timmons (NC)
Bre’Yon White (TX)
Kamari Portalis (TX)
Jillian Hollingshed (GA)
Adrianna Smith (VA)
Isabel Rohlfing (MO)
Nyah Wilson (TX)
Jayla Oden (MD)
Aziaha James (VA)
Kyndall Hunter (TX)
Zaakyaa Young (NY)
Jasmine Peaks (FL)
Makayla Torrence (GA)
Kelbie Washington (OK)
2022
Addison Potts (FL)
Gia Cooke (MD)
Myka Perry (OK)
Natalia Chavez (NM)
Jordan Jackson (KS)
Skye Owen (NY)
T’yana Todd (CAN)
Mwenentanda Ndjakalenga (SD)
Bre Davis (TX)
Amaya Evans (FL)
Mila Reynolds (IN)
Olivia Porter (AL)
Janiah Barker (FL)
Marya Hudgins (GA)
2023Karina Gordon (FL)
Sammie Wagner (TX)
Chloe Clardy (AR)
Premier Look
One of the major reasons this camp is a favorite of mine is because there is an accountability level to everything that they do. Some tough truths are delivered (sometimes candidly in John Lucas fashion, which lightens the mood a bit), but that’s part of getting to a high level in anything.
There is a balance to things here: they do drills, but overemphasize the quality of play. There is an expectation of intensity and improvement of the drills, but again – the emphasis is on the way those things should be applied and correlate to the actual play of the game.
The consensus among our staff is that the Full Court 1 on 1 Drill is our favorite unique element to this camp. Players are partnered up and the group is split in half: group one in one corner and group two in the opposite diagonal corner. The ball is handed to the offensive player with their toes on the baseline and the defender in stance and closely guarding. The offensive player chooses their technique/strategy to face up, and then its straight 1 on 1 from the sideline to the midline of the court to the other basket. This drill shows us a lot:
- Who can handle pressure : poise, handles, speed, change of direction/speed
- Who can guard : stance, ball pressure, angles, conditioning, discipline
- Who excels in the matchup : an element of the game is 1 on 1, and it always will be
- Who loves to compete : both players get to go against each other offensively and defensively. Who wants it?
We have seen some highly regarded players struggle in this drill over the years. It is something that we think should be included in practices and skill development gyms everywhere. Sometimes players just have to dig deep, be gritty, compete, and figure things out. This is a great drill for that. Well done, Rob Amboree (has been his station for years.)
I think we are in an era where players are almost “over-taught” or “over-trained” like they are being programmed – comparable to learning vs memorization. The game has to be played with concepts, but concepts applied with some natural imagination too. Some people think drills are the same as skills. You can perfect drills all day, but if the application of them does not translate well to the play of the game effectively, they are useless and therefore do not become skills in terms of the game. The skills are the fundamental elements and decisions made in the game. Drills are created to sharpen the skills of shooting, passing, ball-handling, footwork, defensive skills and technique, etc. When doing drills one must always be in the mindset of translation to the game. Know the “what, when, and why” that goes allow with the how.
PLAYERS: assess your skill acquisition by your ability to utilize things appropriately in the game; be careful assessing your player development with simply mastering drills. And please make sure your drills are game applicable, because let’s be honest… some of this stuff out there is trash.
The beauty in the women’s game is the movement, the logistics of execution, and the flow. In order for these things to be showcased in a game played primarily below the rim, SHOOTING becomes the most important in my opinion. Spacing and ball movement is a killer! Take a look at the teams in the WNBA Finals: Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics. Neither team starts a “center” (and to further emphasize that point, neither team played a player listed as a “center” in their respective Game Fives). Seattle starts three forwards and two guards; Washington starts three guards and two forwards.
Seattle’s starters combine to average just over 39% from the 3-point line. MVP Breanna Stewart is 6’4 and shot 41.5% from the three this season. Think about that! Four of Washington’s starters shoot over 35% from the 3 (LaToya Sanders does not shoot the three.)
Seattle’s ability to space the floor and run their sets and actions with interchangeable skilled parts makes them VERY hard to guard. They ran a simple set they had been running all year Sunday night in a very important possession. They run an action that gets a predicated ball reversal to get the ball back into Sue Bird’s hands. Then there is a cross-screen + down-screen action. Usually it’s a “little on big” cross screen + the cleanup down-screen from the other forward, but because Stewie can shoot the three so well, she had the option to use the cross-screen or the down-screen.. hard to guard as her primary defender because the defense can’t play both angles at once, and if they switch the screen, she very likely has a mismatch either way. Great action! (For the record the Colorado Basketball Club (CBC) ran the same action this summer. They made similar reads/adjustments with University of New Mexico bound Autumn Smith. Shout out to those players and coaches.)
The Mystics are anchored by one of the most versatile players in the game in Elena Delle Donne – who has been a mismatch since she was in grade school according to our own Joey Simmons whose teams had to play against her in the true AAU National Tournament back in the day. I was unable to watch their Game 5 on Tuesday evening completely because I was on a flight, but I was soon informed by our guy Jason Key that Ariel Atkins’ efforts were outstanding and she showed up and showed out Sunday evening. As a player who was known for her defensive prowess (2nd Team All-WNBA as a rookie) and intense competitiveness, she sure had a impactful offensive night: 20 points on 6-14 FG’s, including 8-8 from the FT line. This made the legions of legendary Duncanville fans proud of course as they have watched her perform for years. Kristi Tolliver is a skilled and intelligent floor general who has been making big shots her whole career (game winner her freshman year at Maryland for the National Championship). LaToya Sanders is comparable to the previously mentioned Clint Capela as she does the dirty work of rebounding, blocking shots, and getting on the offensive glass or finishing dump offs.
The point is this: these teams are skilled and space the floor. This matchup is going to be exciting to watch and players and parents should check it out because it is the ultimate level of basketball. Watch, learn, and be a fan. Try to discern strategy and adjustments not just game to game, but in game as well. And listen to the announcers in the women’s game – they do a great job of educating the audience on the details of the game and the stories of the players.
Like this camp there is something to be learned in every gym and every time players are on the floor. I have to praise the players at this camp for many things. It was physically taxing for sure, and Saturday was an exceptionally long day. What I liked the most was that the style of play changed a bit from Saturday to Sunday. Coach Lucas fussed at them a bit to end the session on Saturday because they were not spacing well. On Sunday they got a reminder before they started, and I observed a marked improvement in the ball movement and deliberate penetrate and kick creation with spacing that makes the game fun to watch.
This was an excellent weekend spent with some very quality people and friends of the basketball world. We are looking forward to the 2018-2019 season at all levels and we will be in the gym to see it all soon.
Come and see us at our two fall weekends. They are a great way to get some preseason comp and a preview of what’s to come during the high school season:
SHINING STARS SHOWCASE || September 22-23 || Fieldhouse USA – Mansfield
Info HERE
FUTURE STARS SHOWCASE || September 29-30 || Fieldhouse USA – Frisco
Info HERE
Also check out our Exposure Plus – SUNDAYS. They are open run style games that can be live streamed on our courts at the Fieldhouse USA – Mansfield.
Info HERE
Premier Basketball Report subscribers will get a full player eval report in their inboxes soon as well as in our database.
