Elite Camp

[BTownJack]

Terry is reporting that the SDSU men's BB team is holding an "elite camp" this week. Sounds like this is a good thing for our men's program. I'll post a link to the article he refers to on Wed.

The SDSU men's basketball team is hosting its first ever "elite camp" this week. The Wednesday edition of the Argus Leader will explain in more detail what that entails, but basically 105 area players with college aspirations - including maybe 12-15 NCAA Division I prospects - are on campus this week. It's like a two-day, two-way orientation: The kids get to know the program and the program gets to know the kids.

The only question: What took so long?

(read more)

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Elite Camp

Does anyone have any perspective as to why it has taken so long to esstablish this camp?

[91jack]

Re: Elite Camp

I really like the job Terry does. He knows how to come up with interesting stories even in the off season. I also like how he calls out coaches or programs when he doesn't agree with how they do things.
I think this is a good idea. Bring in the better players in the area and hope they enjoy the camp. There is some talk about White and Fiegen trying to get Felt to come here. This camp could get some other elite area players to play together and bond. Hopefully, they'll decide to come back here and play together after their High School days are over.

[filbert]

Re: Elite Camp

Does anyone have any perspective as to why it has taken so long to esstablish this camp?

My guess, and it's just that, is that the SDSU folks wanted to make darn sure that holding a camp like that wouldn't cause some kind of NCAA violation.

[JamesJacks]

Re: Elite Camp

Just about every college basketball program in Division 1 holds an "Elite" Camp. They are usually designed for kids who have competed at the varsity level in high school. Colleges do send out brochures to kids they are recruiting to try and get them on campus to the camp. This is a great way for the colleges to gauge the interest of the recruit. If they show up, then there is a genuine interest from them in the college. It also gives the college coaches a chance to see these players they are recruiting in a coaching situation. Do they work hard all the time? Do they take plays off? Are they open to being coached? Are they willing to adjust and try new things? What's their attitude like on and off the floor with their teammates? How do they react in a social situation? These are very important questions that can be answered over a 3 day period when these players are on campus. Yes, it's about how good of a basketball player you are, but it's also a great time to find out what kind of kid they are too.

[filbert]

Re: Elite Camp

Just about every college basketball program in Division 1 holds an "Elite" Camp. They are usually designed for kids who have competed at the varsity level in high school. Colleges do send out brochures to kids they are recruiting to try and get them on campus to the camp. This is a great way for the colleges to gauge the interest of the recruit. If they show up, then there is a genuine interest from them in the college. It also gives the college coaches a chance to see these players they are recruiting in a coaching situation. Do they work hard all the time? Do they take plays off? Are they open to being coached? Are they willing to adjust and try new things? What's their attitude like on and off the floor with their teammates? How do they react in a social situation? These are very important questions that can be answered over a 3 day period when these players are on campus. Yes, it's about how good of a basketball player you are, but it's also a great time to find out what kind of kid they are too.

I guess my speculative point was that the SDSU people wanted to make sure they did it in such a way as they don't run afoul of NCAA bylaws.

Or, it could just be that they hadn't gotten around to it until this year.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Elite Camp

I would hope it's not the latter as thats inexcusable!

[NorCalJack]

Re: Elite Camp

On the issue of recruiting players, I was wondering about SDSU hosting an AAU tourney. I know the Schoolers have a tourney in Sioux Falls. But I was wondering if SDSU would be interested in hosting an AAU tourney like that just to get some of these kids onto campus that may not get another chance to look at SDSU.

I know the University of Minnesota does something like this. I'm not sure about all of the NCAA rules and coaches having contact with players, but just getting more kids onto the campus and exposed to SDSU at early age can only be a good thing. It would also help in the development of basketball in the area for boys and girls.

Just a thought.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Elite Camp

Although the camp was not called the "Elite Camp", they've been running camps since Nagy has been coach to some level of degree. The football program has had a camp since Daly was the head coach. Neither were labled as "Elite Camps" but all were used as recruiting methods to some form. Kids who were being looked at by coaches in either basketball or football were encouraged to come to the camps so they could show the coaches what they were made of. The only reason I bring this up is that the article made is sound like SDSU mens basketball just heard about this thing called summer camps. That's not the case. They are just done a little differently now that they are called "Elite" camps.

[West-River_Jack]

Re: Elite Camp

I was wandering around campus last night. We walked over and looked in the windows of the new wellness center. It was stated this week that the project is both on budget and on time. Then we wandered into the HPER Center. I didn't realize at the time that it was this type of camp but I did notice that there were a lot of pretty good players and a lot of tall players. I saw one of them stuff Kai on a lay-up once. The campus is really looking good this spring/almost summer. I hope that a number of good basketball players and other potential SDSU students enjoyed their stay.

[EQguy]

Re: Elite Camp

Crazy thought or two to follow:

Historically Nagy has hosted a youth camp, a high school camp and a team camp. With gym space as it is and other coaches hosting camps there are very few spare days let alone 2 or 3 that the HPER floor isn't being used during the summer. If he is going to have an elite camp then he needs to drop one of the three.

Second crazy thought. Isn't this just the second summer that there has been more than 1 full time assistant. One could assume that the workload with summer recruiting has been pretty heavy and that maybe with that extra assistant they could put together and organize a new camp.

[PatKraning]

Re: Elite Camp

This camp is not really a new camp. For the past 20 years, there has been a post and guard camp for HS kids. This year the "post/guard" camp became the "Elite Camp". It became shorter and less expensive. The numbers were better with the shorter camp and the talent level was much better. The coaching staff also did a good job of inviting young kids to this camp who could be potential DI players.

The coaching staff did a good job at identifying what changes they needed to make to their camp structure to get the most talented kids on campus for a couple days. They also had their players there working to help sell the program and they type of kids they recruit. They had their 2009 kids there to mix with potential 2010, 2011, and 2012 recruits.

I have worked men's and women's camps at SDSU for almost 20 years and I have never seen as high of talent level as was on campus during the the Boys Elite Camp. Good things will come out of the two days that your coaching staff spent with these kids.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: Elite Camp

I was wandering around campus last night. We walked over and looked in the windows of the new wellness center. It was stated this week that the project is both on budget and on time. Then we wandered into the HPER Center. I didn't realize at the time that it was this type of camp but I did notice that there were a lot of pretty good players and a lot of tall players. I saw one of them stuff Kai on a lay-up once. The campus is really looking good this spring/almost summer. I hope that a number of good basketball players and other potential SDSU students enjoyed their stay.

Maybe I'm off base WRJ, but I wonder if you didn't see the Jacks' men working out, as I know they are all on campus and working out. Could be that the player who stuffed Kai was our new 6-9 JC recruit? My understanding is that all (including incoming recruits) men and women BB players are now on campus and working out.

[EQguy]

Re: Elite Camp

This camp is not really a new camp. For the past 20 years, there has been a post and guard camp for HS kids. This year the "post/guard" camp became the "Elite Camp". It became shorter and less expensive. The numbers were better with the shorter camp and the talent level was much better. The coaching staff also did a good job of inviting young kids to this camp who could be potential DI players.

The coaching staff did a good job at identifying what changes they needed to make to their camp structure to get the most talented kids on campus for a couple days. .

THanks PK. This was pretty much what I was attempting to get at only much more succinct and to the point.

[91jack]

Re: Elite Camp

Very nice post PK. Since you've been going to these camps, you have solid advice.
I think it would be interesting to see how many of the underclassmen get offered and play ball for SDSU. It would be nice if in a few years we could have a farm system(so to say), where players come to the camp for a few years and then play ball for SDSU.
Keep the best from around here at SDSU. I wouldn't trade players like Kai and Garrett but get the best locals and mix them together. We might lose the Miller's, Iverson's and Krabenhoff's but keep the players just a step below them at SDSU. Eventually keep those players, too.