This past weekend I had the privilege of working the 2nd Annual Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp. The camp was held in CP’s home town of Winston-Salem, NC. This “invite only” camp featured 30 of the top high school guards in the nation including Harrison Barnes (Ames, IA); the nation’s #1 player in 2010 class. Phil Pressey (Dallas, TX), Ray McCallum (Beverly Hills, MI), and Kendall Marshall (Dumfries, VA) rounded out the line-up. Staying true to his roots and his love for his home state; Chris made sure about two thirds of the roster was of players from North Carolina. On the college side were Nic Wise (Arizona), Jerome Dyson (Connecticut), and AJ Slaughter (Western Kentucky). Chris’s alma matter (Wake Forest) was very well represented with Al-Farouq Aminu, LD Williams, and Ishmael Smith.
In my 10 years as a basketball strength coach I have been extremely fortunate to have met most of the games top players; from MJ to Kobe to LeBron. I have never met any NBA superstar who is as humble and down to earth as Chris Paul. He is something special. He literally was “just one of the guys” all weekend. CP did every drill and ran every sprint in every workout.
CP is very family oriented as his brother CJ and his mom and dad are very actively involved in every aspect of his life; including putting on this camp. CP is extremely active in the community in both his hometown of Winston-Salem and his seasonal residence of New Orleans. And while Jordan Brand and Vitamin Water were sponsors; CP pays for this Elite Guard camp out of his own pocket to the tune of almost $30,000. That’s how strongly he believes in it.
The camp was brief; but packed a powerful punch. The players had a workout Friday night, two workouts Saturday, and a workout (plus games) Sunday morning. Workouts focused on weak hand development, being able to pivot effectively off either foot, running the break, and every option off of a pick and roll. The players worked hard and competed. At the beginning of the first workout, CP offered several words of wisdom:
“You must know your strengths and weaknesses. When you play, you have to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.”
“Your goal on offense is to get your defender off balance so he is vulnerable. You do this with ball fakes, shot fakes, and being able to change speed and direction. You can’t be predictable.”
“You have to be very efficient and “tight” with your moves; no room for wasted motions. The game is played in straight lines.”
“Work to get into the paint with enough control you can evaluate your options. Getting into the paint puts the defense at a disadvantage.”
“Practice different shots when you workout; not just jump shots. Work on shots like floaters and the Euro-step. You need to be able to score with either hand off of either foot.”
“Compete in everything you do. I hate to lose more than I like to win.”
Knowing there is more to life than just basketball and wanting to provide the campers with a full experience, CP took the entire camp bowling Saturday night. For those that don’t know; CP is an avid bowler. He even has his own custom made Jordan Brand bowling shoes! CP’s friend Elton Brand stopped by. This was my first time meeting EB and I really enjoyed talking with him. Much like CP, he was very down to earth and very approachable.
After bowling the entire group went to Wake Forest University and CP played pick-up with the college counselors. CP was phenomenal and showed beyond doubt why he is arguably the best point guard in the NBA.
The camp also featured a “what to expect” presentation where CP offered up more insight to the campers:
“Trust is critical. Make sure you keep your inner circle tight. Make sure the people you hang around have your best interests at heart; not their own agenda. Every level you climb to the harder this is to do.”
“When you are getting recruited for college you will probably develop your tightest relationship with one of the assistants since they do most of the recruiting. But make sure you get to know the head coach because that is who you will ultimately be playing for.”
“Every coach on the planet is nice when they are recruiting you; but you will see at your very first practice how quickly that will change!”
“Don’t fall victim to short term gratification. Don’t take money from coaches or agents because then they “own” you. Do everything above table.”
“Anytime you can, use your basketball status and celebrity to help others. Your status has a lot of power; use it to better other people’s lives whenever you can.”
On the final morning of camp I was fortunate enough to sit down with CP, one on one, and ask him a series of questions about his training. This is a must read. You can read the interview here: http://blog.strongerteam.com/post/2009/08/17/Chris-Paul-Interview.aspx
Before we left camp CP gathered everyone in and thanked us for being a part of his camp. He told everyone how much he appreciated our being there and not to hesitate to call him if we ever needed anything. Wow. CP is as classy as it gets.
For those who live in the Maryland area, I will be holding a Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility Camp for basketball players next week. The camp will be Monday August 24th to Wednesday August 26th in Germantown, MD at the Discovery Sports Center. It is a half day camp for boys and girls ages 13 and older. I am really excited for the camp! Click here to view the flyer and registration form:
http://www.strongerteam.com/PDF/Clinic-2009-08-24.pdf
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Train hard. Train smart.
Alan Stein