LeBron James Kings Academy Basketball Camp

Joshua, Alex S. and Jashon L.(all Next Level Basketball Training clients,YBA DAWGS teammates and, best of friends) travelled to beautiful San Diego to the Lebron James King's Academy Basketball Camp, held from July 29th-August 4th, 2010.

With close to 800 campers, ages 7 to 18 travelling from as far away as Australia, Spain and China, as well as from other states like Miami, Arizona and Ohio...UC San Diego was a busy place.
It was basketball from morning (900AM) until night (900PM), so there was no shortage of them being able to showcase their skills! And did they ever!!

Alex again led his team to the CHAMPIONSHIP for the 5-on-5 games for his conference (8 Teams), this is the second year in a row that Alex has led his team to victory at the camp. He's talking about a "Three-Peat" next year! For his accomplishment, Alex received a 5-on-5 Champion camp plaque from LeBron himself!! WAY TO GO ALEX!!

Here's Alex receiving his award for 5-on-5 Team Champs (REPEAT!!)! Presented by Lebron himself!! All three worked on their game, and all three came back with great accomplishments to talk about! Keep in mind - 800 campers, and MAYBE 150 awards (team and individual) were given out...so to come back with any "hardwood" or "special considerations" made by any of the camp coaches, commissioners or director is a HUGE deal!!
They even got to get up close and personal with the person responsible for bringing "The King" to this Earth (LeBron's Mom)!!!

Here's Jashon with LeBron James' mom!!

After the first day, Jashon was chosen to move up a grade because of his dominance at the 10-11 year old level. This is a HUGE deal, as only a chosen few are requested to be moved up. GREAT JOB!!!

Here's Joshua receiving his first of two awards presented by "The King"!!

And...by applying his knowledge of the game and individual skills that he's worked on over and over, Joshua received an individual camper award! AWESOME!!!In addition to winning the Hot Shots Championship over 80 players, what makes me most proud is that out of the 80 players in his conference, Joshua was chosen by the coaches as having the "Best Basketball IQ". GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!

Here's Joshua sporting his two pieces of "Hardwood" YEAH!!!!!
BUT...trophy, or no trophy, it was all for the experience of it all! They're all talking about the next one!! I always say we're here to make their dreams come true...and this was certainly one of "those moments"!!!!

All three NLBT clients "cheesin' it up" for the camera with Li'l Dru and Romeo of the big screen movie "More Than A Game" and overseas pro ball fame!!

Josh Mack also travels to meet LeBron (Oops! I mean play basketball)

Another client of ours, Josh Mack(soon to be 4th grade) also is a big Lebron fan, and travelled to San Diego for the camp. Josh also led his team to the 5-on-5 Championship and received a plaqure from LeBron!! AWESOME JOB!!!
Josh Mack gettin' some "Camera Time"!!!
Check out the shirt!!!

Ryan Haug makes the trip (again) to UC San Diego to showcase his skills! The player responsible for introducing us to the King's Academy a year ago, Ryan Haug, made the trip to UC San Diego to meet "The King" once again. Ryan showed his "baller" skills and was in the finals for the 1-on-1 competition. He did a GREAT JOB the entire week and had a BLAST!!

From a coach (and parent) perspectiveSome people told us that the LeBron James camp wouldn't be worth it and some questioned sending our child to a "celebrity camp" for various reasons.

I am going to try to keep this short (but it won't be), but will hopefully get a few important thoughts across. Please keep in mind, I never stayed to observe a full day - I saw what I saw, and got the rest from Joshua (and the boys) telling me about their day.
Having gone to the camp last year, I knew what to expect. Now it was a matter of if LeBron was willing to keep things at a high standard, as I was impressed with our first visit. There were no promises made from the camp organizers. No promises of other NBA players. Just that LeBron would be there. LeBron was there everyday last year - and this year was no different. He was there each day. Kudos to LeBron. (Especially after "The Decision" to go to Miami).

Joshua and LeBron's Mommy
Note: Joshua is a HUGE LeBron fan - so to see his "idol" is a dream come true. And isn't that why we parents are here? To help them realize their dreams and create memories?

The King...

First day was registration - And LeBron was there to welcome everyone.

Damon Jones (LeBron's former teammate on the Cavs) was there too.

They had a huge staff of coaches again. Each team consisted of a coach (or two) and about 10 players. Good Ratio (1:6). Coaches were mostly former coaches and current and former college players. Joshua somehow got placed with his same coach as last year...hmm...no complaints. The guy played Jr. college and college ball (if it matters to anyone). He treated the kids well, and knew basketball - both very important.

A couple of the coaches/commissioners were Dru Joyce III (Lil' Dru), Romeo Travis & Sian Cotton. All high school teammates and close friends of LeBron and all were stars of the movie "More Than A Game". Lil Dru and Romeo play pro ball overseas, and Sian played college football for Ohio State.

LeBron and Friends

Joshua and Jashon both said "we didn't learn anything". Surprised? They both said I already taught them what they went over at the camp. BEFORE YOU JUDGE...THINK OF WHAT PRICE YOU PUT ON GIVING YOUR CHILD A MEMORY OF A LIFETIME DOING SOMETHING THEY LOVE!! How many times has a memory been missed because of a decision about money?
Personally, I didn't think "now what did I pay for?" as many would have. Instead I asked, are you playing hard and more importantly, are you having fun. When the answer was a resounding "YES!" with huge smiles...as a coach and a parent, that was worth the price of admission.
Back to LeBron…he was there EVERYDAY. LeBron played in a scrimmage every night except one, and the kids all got to sit on the floor courtside to get a great view of the action. Sharpshooter Damon Jones also played and NBA Player Trevor Ariza was there playing one night. There was also a Sean Merriman (San Diego Chargers) sighting.

On the last day, the kids got to have one item autographed by LeBron, and the autograph was authenticated by Upper Deck. Joshua chose to have an authentic Miami Heat jersey signed. He was able to hand it to LeBron for signing, so a close encounter with "The King".
Authentic Autograph!!
Also on the last day, individual and team camp awards were given. If I had to guess, there were maybe a total of 150 plaques given out to a pool of 750+ kids. Joshua was chosen by the coaches to receive the “Best basketball IQ" award from his conference, which consisted of around 80 kids. There was only one of these awards given per age group, so we are very proud of him! Joshua also won the Hot Shots shooting contest as well. But the important part was LeBron presented the plaques – so a high five from “The King” himself was a great way to cap off the day!!

Joshua was noticed by the Camp Director, Dru Joyce II - LeBron's High School/AAU Coach, and the current head coach at St. Vincent St. Mary's High School in Ohio. After watching Joshua win the shooting contest he went to Joshua and told him "Okay, you're moving up and playing on my High School team"! HUGE compliment!!!
Here's Joshua and Jashon with Dru Joyce II
Overall, it was absolutely worth it. Not only did Joshua get to play the sport he loves (bordeline obsessed), be with a few of his closest friends and meet his idol…but we, as a family, were able to enjoy a week at a beautiful resort (Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines), no cooking or cleaning, and even got to enjoy

The San Diego Zoo (with Jayden) and Legoland with the boys! Also got to hang out with our good friends the Schneiders (Alex's parents) good times and good conversation!!!

Here's Jayden at the Zoo.

Joshua and Jashon ready to enjoy the day at Legoland.

At Joe's Crab Shack with the Schneiders (Alex's bro Tim and friend JJ are also in the picture - both attended the LeBron Camp).

(JJ, Tim, Jayden, Alex, Joshua and Ja....)

Joshua, Ja and Alex's new friend from Texas, Ashton (Family member of Corliss Williamson - former Sac King). Did I mention this was a plus? Making new friends?? How can you put a price on the memories you create for your children??? Check out the fun they all had!!!

A special thank you to Bumpa for sponsoring Joshua which allowed him to attend his idol's camp this summer.  Thank you Bumpa!!!

Joshua's Surprise

Joshua sure does have great friends! It seems as though the boys really missed Joshua while we were vacationing in Hawaii. We were gone for less than 2 weeks, but it seemed much longer to all the boys as they got used to hanging out almost every day this summer.

Our great friend, Tye (Jashon's Mom), gathered the boys (Jashon, Bryson, Alex S., and Alex M.) and met us at the airport when we returned from Hawaii. It was supposed to be a surprise for Joshua so I didn't say a word. As we came down the escalator at the Sac. International Airport, I didn't notice Tye or the boys. Once we got to the bottom, 4 of Joshua's best friends came running from under the escalator, startling Joshua and the look on his face was classic! He was definitely shocked and couldn't believe that they were there. It was too cute!!

Tye ended up taking Joshua back to her house with the 4 other boys and cooked Joshua's favorite thing for dinner and had him stay overnight with his "dawgs"!

Hawaii 2010

In July we finally took a trip back 'home' to Hawaii. There's no place like home! We spent a lot of time at the boys' favorite beach, Magic Island, spent time with family and friends, ate some ono Hawaiian grinds, celebrated Jayden's 8th birthday, and also our 15th year wedding anniversary! For our anniversary, we hired a professional photographer and took photos on the North Shore (thank you Mio for the referral, Laura was awesome!)

The only downside to our trip was when Jayden caught a stomach virus. Poor little guy was miserable for a few days. But, once it ran through his system, he was able to enjoy most of the trip, thank goodness!

What a wonderful trip back to beautiful Hawaii...fun, sun, family, friends, and special memories!

15 Years

Family of Aloha

Beautiful Hawaiian Sunset

3 Generations




(Joshua missing his DAWGS...even in beautiful Hawaii...he couldn't stop thinking of playing bball!)



















My couz, Seiji

 
 




 (Da Boyz...Kev, Pat, Marc, Micah, P.J., and Ethan)

 

Joshua, Ethan, Micah, Lexi, P.J., and Mia

Marc, Kev and Mio- Kaiser Alumnae =)

(Grandma...93 yrs. old and cute as ever!)

(Uncle Shiro & Aunty Irma at the Hawaii Prince for lunch)

(Ibaras, Leongs, and Nagahiros)

The Next Time???

So on July 25th, we (Joshua, Jayden and I) decided to try our luck again at fishing (mainly becuase just a few days ago we invested in $200 worth of "fishing gear" and needed to make sure it worked), this time a the ol' reliable Stampede Lake. Thinking this would be "the next time" we got to the lake about 5:30AM and started to fish.

Well...different day, same outcome as a few days before. Nothing.

Still, a good time was had, good father and son(s) time and a little R&R. Still no fish. Dad blames it on the fact it was a full moon the night before...

And...it just means the BIG one is still waiting for us!!!

Where are the fish??

Joshua was starting to show a bigger interest in fishing, so I decided to take him, a few of his friends (Jashon and Alex) and Jayden fishing on July 23rd. This was also Jayden's first time fishing. We took off and arrived at Lake Pardee (in Ione) at around 5:30AM ready to catch the big one!

Here's the boys early in the morning and Jayden enjoying his first time fishing. Unfortunately, we didn't catch anything! Oh...except for this monster....

Everyone had a great time - except for NOT catching fish! Oh well...maybe next time...

A Day For Heroes....Next Level Bball Training 1st Annual Father and Son Basketball Camp

On June 25-26, we hosted our first annual Father and Son Basketball Camp-"A Day For Heroes". We had a total of 8 pairs of Father and sons. It was an overnighter camp and the pairs stayed a a local hotel in the area which was included in our fee.

The campers checked in on Friday at 430pm. They had the Hardwood Palace all to themselves! Lance ran drills, had fun contests, and father and son games. We provided dinner, dessert, showed the LeBron James movie, "More Than A Game" and served popcorn. On Saturday morning, campers checked back in at Hardwood and began their day with more fun contests. At the end of the camp, campers were awarded prizes, including awesome trophies, sweet goodies, Jamba Juice giftcards, etc.

The camp was a lot of fun and all the pairs really enjoyed themselves. In fact, they can't wait until the next one! It was a great bonding experience for the Father/Son pairs to play together and spend that quality time together. It was awesome.

Thank you for all the campers for attending! We hope to see you all at our next one. (Photos will be posted soon.)

Next Level Basketball Training Summer Skillz Camp 2010

In June, we hosted our 2010 Summer Skillz Camp. It was another successfull camp with approximately 70 campers! Thank you to all the great coaches and campers who attended our camp!

See you at our next one!

My DAWGS!

I just wanted to "give a little shout out" to MY DAWGS...my beautiful family. As everyone well knows, especially if you follow our blog, we have A LOT of basketball in our lives. Not only do both of the boys play, but Cyndee and I also run our training business.

As you can imagine, this translates to a lot of time in the gym.

My family is the reason our business is successful because they allow me to do something I absolutely LOVE doing - teaching and training kids. The fact that both Joshua and Jayden play - and excel - at the sport, is simply a bonus for me!

Joshua is the BIG DAWG, Jayden is the Li'l DAWG, and Cyn is the QUEEN DAWG!

Thank you Joshua and Jayden for being on the court, wanting to get better, and listening to your coach - you both play the toughest position: Coach's son. And thank you to my wife for her countless hours sitting courtside at the games, the practices and the training sessions.

"Coach" Lance

Reno Memorial Day Jam CHAMPIONS!

The Reno Memorial Day Jam tournament brings together over 800 teams playing under one roof at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center. It is reported as the largest tournament of it's kind. It also marks the end of our YBA DAWGS Club spring season, and many of our teams work hard to have a "good showing" at this tournament. I have cut and pasted our tournament summary...it's a little lengthy, but read on for Joshua's accomplishments!

Everything our players have done since last Memorial Day Weekend 2009, all of the sweat and hard work was in preparation for Memorial Weekend 2010. After a few lopsided losses in the 2009 tourney, the boys made it a goal to come back and win it in 2010.And win it they did.

The team was "laser beam" focused from the Friday before the games. Even with a tough schedule ahead of them - early games, and no knowledge of the opponents - they did not let that phase them.

Game 1 YBA 67 Next Play (Farifax, CA) 46

The 9:15AM start time, (and only game of the day) was not in our favor, as the adrenaline from the weekend was rushing through everyone the night before. A combination of a very well coached, "scrappy" opponent that passed the ball great, and our lack of help defense saw YBA leading at half by a mere four points. YBA turned up the offense in the second half, and never looked back. Joshua Ohara led all scorers with 14 points (5-10 shooting), while Jashon Lewis (12 points), and Alex Martinez (12 points, 6-8 shooting) also made huge contributions. Bryson Zorich handed out 10 assists, and Joshua led the team with four steals.Coach said "It was a good effort by all of our players, not our best effort, and our defense needed help, but they did what they had to do to win the game."

Game 2 YBA 66 N Your Court (Foster City, CA) 57

Playing their earliest game EVER (8:00AM), coach didn't know what to expect from the boys. But, their focus was the key. They all went to bed early, with the goal to win in mind, and put their basketball game and the team in front of the arcade. Also, a surprise visit by the teams assistant coach from a year ago, "Coach Jim" provided a little "spark".The team from Foster City was a "hard nosed" team, playing YBA tough the whole way, Joshua Ohara again lead the team with 17 points, hitting three 3-pointers, Jashon Lewis and Bryson Zorich each had six assists, and Alex Martinez put forth a great effort with five steals and eight rebounds and 12 points (5-7 shooting). Ethan Wainwright was also a key player with nine boards and seven rebounds.Coach said "it was another gritty effort by the team, but we're capable of playing better. Our on ball defense and help side defense must've been left at home, because we were lucky to win this game!"

Game 3 YBA 71 Humbolt Bengals (Humbolt, CA) 44

With a HUGE break in between games, the players had some down time. But when it was game time, it was all business. During the break between the games, the team found their defense (much to the coach's appreciation) and YBA jumped out to a quick 13-0 lead, with a smothering, trapping defense that caused quick turnovers that led to easy baskets. The team had a balanced offensive attack, with Bryson Zorich (15 points, 6-13 shooting) and Joshua Ohara (15 points (6-9 shooting) leading the effort. Blake Pifer also had an outstanding game with 10 points (4-8 shooting), and made great "in game" decisions. Rounding out the scoring effort was Jashon Lewis with 13 (6-10 shooting) and Ethan Wainwright with 12 (two 3-pointers).Alex Schneider got busy on the boards with six, and made many "hustle plays" that kept the possession and led to easy baskets. Bryson lead all players with six assists, and Jashon Lewis led the team with nine steals. Coach said "I am glad we found our defense, because our offense goes as our defense goes. I hope it stays with us for a few more games. Winning our pool is HUGE, and it doesn't get easier from here. This is the first game this tournament we ALL played as ONE UNIT, our team play was outstanding, and if we can keep together and focused, good things can happen."

Game 4 YBA Hoop Dreams (Meridian, ID)YBA 75 Hoop Dreams 45

Playing against a VERY fundamentally sound and well coached team, YBA had to have their game faces on, and bring their "A" game, as this was now bracket play, and a "Win or Go Home" situation. The 915AM start time seemed normal after the last few days. The biggest concern was going to be the "energy level".With the opposing team being from Idaho, you can imagine they had a couple of BIG boys. Using a little strategy, the YBA DAWGS put the pressure on the guards to make the plays, and with our defense still with us, we were able to jump on them and force them into taking quick shots.The offense was also clicking, as the team shot a scorching 54% from the field. Leading the scoring effort was Bryson Zorich with 22 points (four 3-pointers, 8-11 shooting). Alex Schneider found his "O", and contributed 11 points on (6-7 shooting, and his first 3-pointer of the year). Blake Pifer also chipped in 11 points off the bench (5-8 shooting).A parent from the opposing team came up to us after the game and said "we have never played a team that can shoot so well! It was a fun game, and you guys are fun to watch!" Also, one of the refs made a comment "He is nice coming off the bench!", referencing Blake Pifer's energetic play.The boys were now one game away from their initial goal: THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Championship YBA 56 Roadruners (Palo Alta, Ca) 46

Facing a team they had lost to a year ago (at the same tournament) by 40+ points, the YBA DAWGS were confident that their hard work, and preparation for this game would give them a good chance to win. Playing in front of a very hostile crowd, and against a very talented, and athletic team, the boys were up to the challenge.Down by as many as six in the first half, the game was neck and neck the whole way. With a three pointer by Joshua Ohara sparking the team and inspired play by Alex Martinez, they scraped and clawed their way back to within one point at half time.Alex Martinez came up HUGE in this game with an "all out 100%" effort on both ends of the court and diving for any ball within the Reno area. Alex finished the game with 18 points (7-12 shooting) and 14 rebounds.Jashon Lewis was the emotional leader on the court, encouraging the team to "go as he goes". He finished with 11 points, and a number of tipped passes, changed shots, and smothering defense. Ethan Wainwright (11 points, six rebounds) and Joshua Ohara (10 points, two 3-pointers, two steals) also gave great efforts to help the team win.Blake Pifer and Alex Schneider both provided solid minutes, and played great all around games, with hustle at every minute. Bryson Zorich finished the game with nine assists, and played a solid point guard game in directing the team to victory.Coach said "The boys worked hard and deserved this win! They played a great team, but we were focused the whole weekend!

Nicknames are earned, and the boys definitely earned theirs this weekend, so here are some fun ones from RENO:

"The Playmaker" - Bryson Zorich

"Laser Beam" (for his laser beam focus all weekend)- Jashon Lewis

"The Junkyard DAWG" (Does the dirty work) - Alex Martinez

"The Glue" (without him, the team falls apart) - Alex Schneider

"The Microwave" (Can get hot in an instant) - Blake Pifer

"The Silent Giant"(Doesn't say much, but has a big impact) - Ethan Wainwright

"FedEx" (Delivers the BIG SHOT right on time) - Joshua Ohara"

Closing thoughts: This was a great end to a great season! As a team we shot 51% (122/240)and averaged 10 steals a game. The boys all worked hard on their individual games in the past year in preparation for this tournament, and it paid off. I am proud to be a part of a team with players that not only are very skilled players, but are also good kids. I am proud of their effort this past weekend (and past year), and happy for them that they were able to set a goal, and obtain it. Hard work makes the dream work!!!

Visiting Bachan

Here are the boys visiting bachan recently. Bachan had recently celebrated her 93rd birthday!! Doesn't she look good!?

Principal's Honor Roll

CHECK IT OUT! Joshua made the Principal's Honor Roll!! (For the 2nd trimester in a row at his new school)

If they did this for Jayden's grade, he'd be right there with big bro!!

We're proud of both our scholar/atheletes!!

Joshua in the news...

Joshua's school learned the importance of keeping our water clean. With that came the "only water down the drain" campaign. A contest was held, and three winners were chosen...and Joshua's art was chosen and published in the local newspaper! Check it out!!!

We're proud of our artist! As some of you may recall...Joshua attended an "Art" preschool...phew! Now we know those were dollars well spent! lol!!!