Turning up the HEAT: B-ball players get in up to 60 games

Attempting to contact high school coaches for interviews during the summer months quickly revealed the commitment to expanded training for local schools.

Arnold girls basketball coach Bryan Normand was reached while with his players in Knoxville, Tenn., at a summer camp sponsored by the University of Tennessee. Mosley volleyball and girls basketball coach Steve Canfield took a call while conducting one of the Dolphins’ summer volleyball camps.

Not to be outdone, Mosley baseball coach Todd Harless answered his cell at 9:30 a.m. one weekday and reported the need to return the call. He was coaching third base at that time in a summer baseball game.

Many winter sports teams stay extremely busy during June and July, even though their regular season is more than three months away once school resumes in mid-August.

Great time of year

“Players are made in the offseason, that’s your biggest improvement,” Rutherford boys basketball coach Rhondie Ross said. “When I was in school we didn’t do stuff like this, but if you don’t do stuff in the summertime you’re going to be way behind your competitors.”

As a result, Rutherford players as well as their county counterparts are kept busy during a time many associate with beach activities and an idling down from academics.

Ross said that boys basketball basically has become a year-round activity, and estimated that from April to July some of his athletes can play as many as 60 organized games. That’s twice as many as during the season, even for the Rams who advanced to the Class 4A Final Four in March.

“It’s very extensive,” Ross said. “We do a lot of weight training, but we do that year-round. We practice, play upwards of three games a week. If we go off to a team camp we can play eight to 10 games a weekend.”

Camps also offer a chance to play schools with accomplished athletes from other states. Ross said Rutherford will match up with talent from as far away as Texas and Louisiana, in addition to many Miami schools.

An area summer league also provides competition. Ross said that Marianna hosted a summer league in which the Rams have participated in past years starting on June 7. Normally, he said, June is for team camps and some random games against other schools.

Summer league, played with officials and under high school rules starts in earnest in July with county schools and at times includes Port St. Joe, Vernon and Franklin County. There also is a junior varsity league that plays Monday nights at Mosley and runs for about six weeks.

Ross said that more than 20 kids usually participate at Rutherford during the summer, sometimes a one-practice-fits-all age group held. Practice usually is four or five days a week, from about 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“Everything is in the morning,” Ross said. “You don’t want to ruin their summer for them. You can actually have an official practice. We do a lot of defensive stuff and a lot of skill development. I don’t work on offensive set plays in the offseason, It’s skill development, more for the individual person than a team thing.

“From the time you get a kid from the eighth grade to the first official day of practice those kids can make a great jump. We shut it down the last week of July, start lifting weights again around the second Monday when the kids get back (in school) and after Labor Day start our conditioning program.”

Talented players can get even more experience on various AAU teams as long as they can make arrangements to travel to games and practices.

Jai Jencks and Keke Williamson, who both made an impact as freshmen last season, are playing on Nike-sponsored Team Florida. Jon Wade plays for Florida Elite.

“I encourage my kids to go out and play” AAU, Ross said. “Most AAU teams shut down in June, and in July are the big tournaments. The landscape has changed. It’s almost impossible for a kid to get a Division I scholarship without playing on a travel team. It’s a win-win for me.”

Ross said that most basketball coaches are not compensated for the time spent during summers. Hosting basketball camps, such as the one Rutherford ran last week, provides an opportunity both to raise funds for the program and for the coach or coaches to make some money.

Players are charged a nominal fee to participate during summers, and are asked to help defray costs for team camps. Some of the camp fees come from the booster club, funded by the Rutherford camp and other activities.

Athletes who participate during the summer not only stay in shape, but stay current.

“Those other kids get so far behind that by the time the first day of practice comes around they’re not familiar with the terminology. Not familiar with the drills,” Ross said.

Had to be done

Normand took over a girls basketball program at Arnold last year that never had a winning season. He knew that a change was needed, and the Marlins embraced that change to finish 11-10.

“Something had to be done for us to be competitive,” Normand said. “I took over at the end of summer, and what we did then helped a lot with our success. This year will make a big difference.”

That started on the final day of school. Normand said the school day ended at 11 a.m., and by noon 12 of his players were loaded in a van and headed to Knoxville, Tenn., to attend camp.

“We got a great response,” Normand said of participation. “We get to meet Pat Summit today and get to see teams from all over the country. The exposure to coaches like Pat Summit and the quality of teams all over. The level of competition is pretty high.”

Normand said the Marlins will attend the camp put on by Gulf Coast in addition to playing some games during the summer against Bay and Mosley. The girls do not have a definitive summer league like boys teams, however, so many workouts will be geared to becoming more athletic and fit.

“We lift two days a week, plus conditioning,” Normand said. “We’re honing skills. We don’t do a whole lot of X’s and O’s, but are trying to build strength. When we get close to the season it’s more agility and turning that strength into basketball.”

Normand also is an assistant football coach, so he schedules summer workouts for girls basketball immediately following the football training.

He said that girls who train for multiple sports are encouraged to get their weightlifting done within the confines of one of their workouts, whether it be for basketball, volleyball or soccer.

“As long as they’re getting their conditioning,” Normand said.

Normand is hopeful that Arnold can host a summer youth camp, which can help both with compensating coaches and raising money for the booster club. The Marlins will accompany the boys team on a trip to Kentucky in January, so money has to be raised the meet that budget.

“I don’t push for the compensation,” Normand said. “The boosters are able to kick in some if they think it’s necessary. But it all depends on the budget.”

Just not playing enough

Canfield said that some Mosley players compete in the Youth Basketball Association of America, which usually includes a tournament, prior to heading into summer practice.

For the Dolphins, that often means attending basketball camps.

“We just did the University of South Alabama and then we’ll be doing Troy,” Canfield said.

The Dolphins also travel west to play teams during the summer, often competing at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville. They face programs from South Walton, Freeport, Choctawhatchee and Marianna.

“Whoever we can get to play,” Canfield said. “Two Tuesdays we’re in South Walton, one day we’re playing at Mosley. It’s kind of a summer league, but it’s not set in stone.

“The summer is invaluable. A lot of freshmen coming in, getting them out in the summer I’ll play anywhere from 25 to 45 games. That’s a season plus. All of a sudden my freshmen are like sophomores. For the incoming freshmen it gets them into the mix quicker.”

Attending camps also get experienced players noticed by established universities.

“Octavia Langston is going to college (on scholarship) because of what we do in the summer,” Canfield said. “That was her exposure. I don’t think you can compete unless you’re doing something in the summer. We’ve got a great club system here for volleyball, but basketball is not as good in the youth leagues.

“There just isn’t a lot. And then with Renegade closing … I don’t know what it is about basketball in our town. (Girls) are just not playing enough.”

To combat that as well as raise money, Mosley hosted a youth camp for girls this week.

Open gym

Covenant Christian School also competes in girls and boys basketball, and hosts two co-ed basketball camps during June, each geared toward a different age group.

Girls basketball coach Ty Farris said that with a total enrollment of about 20 girls in grades 9-12, Covenant doesn’t follow a similar summer regimen as the public schools.

“Typically what we do is we have a couple who graduated one or two years ago come in the open gym at night and help supervise,” he said. “In the past we’ve participated in the Gulf Coast camp, but this year I’m not sure.

“We’ll have a couple go to camp on their own … otherwise I get them in late October.”

Part III on Sunday: Spring sports teams segue into summer training