Thread: first camp
View Single Post
  #10 (permalink)  
Old Thu Apr 29, 2004, 05:58am
tomegun tomegun is offline
Huck Finn
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 3,347
IMO a learning camp allows more mistakes and the feedback is a mix of good and bad depending on the ability of the camper to absorb and make adjustments. If a camper gets a "yeah but.." reputation the feedback will either decrease or not be filtered. A lot of times a learning camp is in conjunction with a tournament that will force the campers to do several games a day. This is good and bad since you can have a great game followed by a crappy game. Often this has nothing to do with the official but has more to do with what the game dictates. IMO a learning camp is one learning tool/sacrifice that must be made just like staying to watch the varsity officials. In the area I live in now officials just think they can get to the next level by doing their time. I think there was maybe two games this past season where the JV official(s) was still there at halftime.
A D1/tryout/invitational camp will offer less "ego massaging" feedback. You are good and that is why you are there. My experience has been campers do 1-2 games a day so there could only be one shot to impress. My mentor uses the crabs in a barrel analogy when talking about these camps. The officials at these camps are all good or good talkers (crabs) if everyone goes out and has a good game then everything could still be equal (crabs in a barrel). To be noticed or stand above the rest (crawl out of the barrel) an official must do something, a mechanic, intentional call, technical foul, rule interpretation or something. I have a friend, that was 46 I think at the time, that went to camp with us just to hang with the fellas. This was a camp to get noticed for an invite to a D1 camp. So he is working a game, the gym is hot and everything is pretty quiet. The teams are JC teams and we are using a shot clock. He puts some good air in the whistle during play and comes with a strong "set the shot clock to such and such." It woke everyone up and his ticket was basically in the mail for the D1 camp. That was his moment that stood above the rest. We go to the D1 camp and he has a good camp and has to leave early. It doesn't matter though. He just finished his second year in two D1 conferences. He won his job in that hot gym a month before the D1 camp.
Reply With Quote