For the past six years, I have been fortunate to work as a skills instructor at the Nike Skills Academies, including the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio. Every year, I seem to learn something new, and this year was no exception.
1. LeBron James is not what you might think
Every year, James attends the camp and plays with the high school and college players, which is a highlight for each player involved in the camp. This year, after all that has been said and written, James was as involved as ever, and he made a point to touch every single player in the camp. At the opening night player and staff dinner, James shook every hand and provided the players with an amazing experience.
Instead of standing before the camp and giving a speech, James annually sits down for an interview with me in front of every player, coach and administrator in the camp, and this year, the participants were treated to incredible insight into James, his season and his thought process. More than anything, everyone in the room learned that James has raw feelings, that he hears what is said and reads what is written, yet he continues forward with his head up and accepts what comes his way as part of his career. I have never had any problem with anyone who likes or dislikes any athlete or celebrity. That is a matter of taste. But, it has been clear to me since I met him as a teenager that LeBron James is a good guy. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the manner in which he made and communicated his decision to join the Miami Heat, to me, James remains a good guy. I would be surprised if anyone present at that dinner felt otherwise.
2. There is still a disconnect regarding college coaches
To listen to us talking heads and writers, you would think the summer basketball circuit was akin to drug-trade-generated border violence. I can tell you that it is not. Clearly, there are people you might not choose to mentor your child around the young prospects. But the college coaches are not among those few.
As I watched the college coaches roped off from the high school prospects, unable to speak to them while others have unfettered access, it struck me that we have it backward. College coaches are good influences and should be allowed more access to prospects, not less. They are representatives of institutions of higher learning, and to treat them as if they are negative influences strikes me as being dead wrong. Nobody has the right answers for all of the situations that can arise in the interactions among the different people in the game, but to cut college coaches out of the process seems as though it is wrong. We need to figure this out, and need to do so with a clear understanding that our coaches are not the enemy. They are part of the solution rather than the problem.
3. A young college player continues to wow
The college counselors at the camp included two players who have yet to play a college game, and both are really good. Both are also going to Kentucky. This might not have been the best crop of college players we have had at the camp, but it is a good one. And Anthony Davis was the best player and the one with the most promise. Davis is 6-foot-10, has a 7-4 wingspan and oozes potential. He can run; he has excellent skills; and his length is game-changing. When an opposing player feels as if he has an advantage on Davis, those long arms seem to come out of nowhere and make a play. He can also catch anything.
His Wildcats teammate Michael Gilchrist also performed well and will be an outstanding college player. He is also a great kid to be around.
Others who stood out were Scoop Jardine of Syracuse, Thomas Robinson of Kansas and Gerald Robinson of Georgia. Thomas Robinson was among the hardest working and most productive in the camp and has the chance for a really big year for Bill Self. Gerald Robinson was solid in every way and is the type of player you simply want on your team.
4. Some of the best high school players are young
To me, two players stood out among the crowd in Akron, and both were underclassmen. That is not to say the seniors were not good because they were. But the players who left your jaw on the floor are more than a year from being seniors. The most impressive was 6-9 junior Julius Randle, a left-handed, skilled forward who strikes me as a cross between Amare Stoudemire and Zach Randolph. If you get in his way, he will run you over. He went head to head with LeBron James without blinking. Randle has the chance to be special.
The other impressive player was Jabari Parker from Chicago. Parker possesses a great combo of size and skill. He's a little old-school, and he does everything -- he can post a guy, bully him and finish plays. He's young, but he doesn't play young.
5. The coaches at the camp are first-rate
This year, the staff at the LeBron James Skills Academy was a bit different because of the NBA lockout. The usual camp director is Boston Celtics assistant coach Kevin Eastman, the former coach at UNC Wilmington and Washington State. As I have written and said many times, Eastman is one of the finest teachers of the game I have ever been around. Because of the NBA lockout, Eastman was not allowed to work with or be around future prospects, which would include high school players. As a result, our staff made some changes.
Former college coach Tates Locke slid over from running the college workouts to running the high school workouts, and former college coach Rod Baker took over for Locke. As changes were made, adjustments had to be made by a number of coaches. There were no egos at this camp. The focus was on helping the players learn the finer points of the game and on doing whatever needed to be done. My colleague at ESPN, Fran Fraschilla, took a leadership role with the high school workouts and was outstanding in his teaching and planning. And the high school coaches who annually work the camp showed exactly why they are Hall of Famers in their respective states.
Coaches such as Norm Persin, Herman Harried, Pat Clatchey, Sharman White and Dave Thorson, to name but a few, showed me again that coaches who know the game and how to teach it can coach at any level. And, when you have the opportunity to listen to and learn from coaches such as Jim Burson, Murray Arnold, Glenn Wilkes Sr. and Glenn Wilkes Jr., you would be a fool not to take advantage of it. I never miss the Nike Skills Academies for one selfish reason: I always learn something from the coaches who work the camp.