Sports

South Brunswick Basketball Program Develops Team First Attitude

BALL-U-MAN clinics work on developing kids on and off the court.

Defense wins championships is a popular saying throughout the sports world, as defense is a team concept that involves discipline and a shared commitment to working together. For two South Brunswick residents, that belief in teamwork and discipline became the centerpiece of a basketball clinic they started over three years ago known as BALL-U-MAN.

The BALL-U-MAN program is currently in the midst of their summer basketball camp, held at the Community Center in Woodlot Park. The program was started by former South Brunswick recreation league coaches Rex Mangrum and Giovanni Shepherd.

"The only way to get better at something is to practice it everyday and we had a lot of parents with kids who wanted to keep playing basketball through the offseason," said Mangrum, BALL-U-MAN's Director of Program Development. "We work on building confidence in kids and teaching them not only the basics about basketball, but also life skills that help them learn to work with other people, and leadership skills that help them become a better person away from the basketball court."

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Through basketball drills, fitness drills, guest speakers, and hands-on work with the youngsters in the program, BALL-U-MAN's staff believes the work kids put in at their clinics can have a noticeable impact through all areas of a child's development. Mangrum said the BALL-U-MAN drills and lessons help kids develop problem solving skills that translate directly to the classroom.

"We always let kids know school comes first and that if you're organized in how you approach your work on the court, then you learn to become organized in academics," he said. "We have drills with set times each day, with set routines. That repetition and dedication to get better is something that carries over into all areas of academics."

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Mangrum said the clinics are designed to not only help develop basketball and leadership skills, but also to instill in kids where their priorities should be as they advance through school. 

"There are a million kids throughout the country fighting for that one spot on the varsity team, or that one college scholarship," he said. "Good grades are what can set each kid apart. You have to have a plan B outside of sports. Everyone wants to be LeBron James or Michael Jordan, but that's not realistic. We always talk to the kids about what they want to be when they grow up and make sure they work on becoming more than a good player, we want them to become a better person."

The six- to eight-week clinics run by BALL-U-MAN instruct kids in first through eighth grade and brings in boys and girls of varying skill levels, from travel players to novices. The basketball end of the program is handled by Shepherd, who cut his teeth in the 1990s working on the coaching staff at St. John's University, under Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca and his assistant coach, defensive mastermind Al LoBalbo. The name BALL-U-MAN came from a saying of LoBalbo's, that preaches the importance of a team-first attitude.

"It's a defensive concept where you see the ball, you see the man and you help the team," Shepherd said. "Even when you're not on the man with the ball, you're always thinking of the team. Nowadays, a lot of people focus on offense and I don't think a lot of kids learn to develop that team defense."

Though the BALL-U-MAN name is a defensive concept, the clinics develop the entire player. Last week at a clinic held at the Community Center, kids began the session by running sprint drills on the court before the BALL-U-MAN staff began drills that worked on shooting form. Kids stood face to face from each other in a line, and began perfecting their form by shooting the ball back and forth to each other, focusing on their arm movement and followthrough. 

"One of the things we focus on with the kids is that if you work together as a team you can accomplish any goal," Shepherd said. "If one person has a breakdown, the entire team has a breakdown, so you have to work as a team. The skills we teach are easily transferred to the classroom and the real world. At some point in your life, you will have to learn to work as a team."

As the program has grown with more towns bringing in BALL-U-MAN for clinics, the staff has also been able to bring in speakers like former Duke University and Boston Celtics guard Roshown McCloud to speak to kids, and BALL-U-MAN has also run a program with the New Jersey Nets.

But ultimately, the BALL-U-MAN clinics are focused on developing the entire child, in addition to helping boys and girls become better ball players, at lesser cost than a lot of other clinics. BALL-U-MAN charges between $125 to $175 for a summer camp program that can cost up to $500 elsewhere, Shepherd added.

"We see the kids in our clinics become more confident, and as a result they become happier," Shepherd said. "They have fun learning and become more confident through hard work and practice. We have seen a lot of improvement in the kids we have. The program is also economical and doesn't have the high cost of some other clinics, which is important during these economic times."


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