THE HESPERIA CLINIC: Days 3-5

It’s difficult to sum up the dynamic of a week’s worth of basketball with 9-17 year-olds. There were five pillars of character that took center stage without much fanfare. “Submission to Truth,” “Motivation,” “Preparation,” “Identity” and “Resolve” rounded out the list of non-negotiable attributes that one must possess to succeed in life and sport. The pillars weren’t shrouded or hidden so as to fool the clinic participants into becoming better young people by accident. It wasn’t like going to church for a free dinner only to find you’ve been baited into hearing a sermon. The pillars had a way of just appearing throughout the day. A kid lies about his effort in a drill but then realizes that he isn’t submitting to truth. A girl arrives late to a workout because her motivation is waning. A decent but not exceptional player remains in the gym after 8 hard hours of camp so he can play full-court with the coaches, thus displaying resolve.

A typical day at a 6ixth Man Clinic began with prayer, dynamic stretching and any assortment of fundamental drills. Then we applied those fundamentals in competitive drills. About half-way through the workout we stopped to review a character lesson in groups. These are brief, pre-printed conversation prompts that speak to the pillar of the day. If it’s conducted properly, the players do most of the talking, citing episodes from their own lives in which they see the pillar or the need for it. This discussion time is probably my fave because parents have usually vacated the gym and kids are pretty transparent.

In a word, 6ixth Man Camp is a grind. The athletes leave exhausted and probably not just due to physical exertion. I encourage the participants to make the pillars the “support beams” of their personhood which can be a lot for a 15 year-old to grasp. You look at the glazed eyes in the circle and can easily detect confusion, unfamiliarity or resistance. Most kids have never thought about their own identity or their ultimate motives for their actions. But there’s a first time for everything and that time is at my camp. Ironically, on the last day, no one complained. Quite the contrary. Several girls celebrated their accomplishment of finishing camp with an ice bath party. These were the kids who coached the little campers in the morning from 8:30-12:30 and then subjected themselves to basketball boot camp in the afternoons.

Days 3-5 was 90 Degree heat in combat with swamp coolers, utter depletion of countless gallons of water, pranks, half-court shootouts at the break, the stench of sour ankles braces, taped up wrists, player-coach one-on-one games, failed attempts at behind the back dribbles, 4-step shooting process, tragedy off the court and critical thinking. One can’t begin to adequately explain the evolution of camp in a week. I reckon only the athletes participating really have a grasp of what’s going on inside of them. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to do it again.