American Coaches Reflect On Bermuda Hoops
The Team Hurricane-Global Squad Invitational Skills Camp recently held at Bermuda College was a “triumph for Bermuda youth basketball,” organisers said.
The camp was a benefit to Bermuda’s student-athletes by allowing them to work with the staff of Alexander Basketball Academy, a well-regarded basketball institution experienced in bringing international players to U.S. college coaches.
Team Hurricane Founder and President, Doug Reed, handed the reins to John Alexander to run a camp designed to scout and recruit, invited NCAA level talent from here in Bermuda. Coach Alexander has been training high school, college, and pro players for nearly 10 years and has over 40 players who have made it to the NCAA level. Joining John Alexander in Bermuda was Kevin Breslin an Assistant Coach at Washington College [Chestertown, Maryland] and Christian Matthews, a Washington College graduate and former player there.
The 3-day camp saw players from Team Hurricane learn what is required to, as Coach John Alexander said, “take ownership of their game.” Student-athletes learned fundamental training techniques including proper footwork, speed, agility, ball-handling, and shooting. By camp’s end, Team Hurricane players had the tools necessary to train at a high level.
What made the Skills Camp a triumph for Bermuda youth basketball was what Coach Alexander and Coach Kevin Breslin had to say about the talent and heart of young Bermuda players.
John Alexander said, ““I was impressed with the level of talent we found in Bermuda. More importantly, though, Team Hurricane is clearly building a strong culture of hardworking and extremely coach-able basketball players. In our brief time with the players we saw a great deal of improvement from each player.
“This demonstrated that they not only take instruction well, but they are willing to put in the work to take their game to the next level. The discipline the Hurricane staff has already instilled in these players really made our job easy and enjoyable. This was without a doubt one of the most enjoyable international skills camp Alexander Basketball Academy has ever run.”
Kevin Breslin said, ““The first time we run a camp in a new country it is always difficult to plan for the first day. Without a good understanding of the level of basketball we will soon encounter we can’t be sure of what drills to run. Running a drill I use with my players at Washington College may not be beneficial for a kid who is first learning the game.
“The remarkable thing about this camp is that the coaches of Team Hurricane have already provided young Bermudians with the basic skills that will help them to succeed as basketball players at a high level. Team Hurricane’s mastery of the basic concepts of basketball empowered our Alexander Basketball Academy staff to run the advanced drills we would use with players in our advanced Global Squad program.
“The challenge for these young players now is to find time to hone their impressive skills on a beautiful island with more golf courses than gymnasiums, a stark difference from their American counterparts who never lack opportunities for gym space.”
Founder and Head Coach, Doug Reed, couldn’t be happier about the success of Team Hurricane’s first ever skills camp, saying:“It was a dream come true to be able to provide an awesome training experience for young student-athletes here in Bermuda.
“The young men of Team Hurricane Basketball Academy carried themselves with such dignity and class while showing a competitive spirit to work hard and do all that was asked of them. They showed that a lot of talent is to be found in Bermuda youth basketball”
To learn more about Team Hurricane-Global Squad Invitational Skills Camp as well as learn how you can support the Team Hurricane Basketball Academy, please contact Coach Doug Reed at 504-1962. Also, follow Team Hurricane on our Team Hurricane Basketball Academy Facebook Page, as well as on their blog, and on Twitter at @hurricanehoops1.
