The emphasis of this week was pick-up games. After performing poorly in the tournament last weekend, I decided I needed to practice in game situations more often. My Monday started like most others since I was going to Rise after school to play basketball again. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to play in any games since the hoops were raised for volleyball practice 30 minutes after I arrived. Luckily, I had a ride to the YMCA available. I played in pick-up games for about 2 hours there until leaving. My performance was mediocre overall since I slipped multiple times on the dusty courts and my shot wasn’t falling at the rate it usually does.
Although Monday wasn’t my best performance, I made up for some of it on Tuesday. I played in more pick-up games Tuesday, but this time they were at Rise. My performance was much better and I also hit a chest and tricep workout. The next two days were spent practicing with my AAU coach. On Wednesday I had a one-on-one session with my coach for an hour and a half at a YMCA in Winston-Salem. This session might’ve been the most physically demanding practice I’ve had in a while, but it was productive and I learned some things. Thursday was just another team practice day. The last day of the school week was probably my favorite. I went to Rise immediately after school and prepared for my first game of the tournament. I stretched, jogged on the treadmill, and then put up some shots before the game. All of this put me in a great state of mind to perform my best in the game. As expected, I played great. I finished the game with nine points off of the bench, multiple assists, and an efficient shooting rate. Although scoring nine points doesn’t usually make me happy, I scored them efficiently and off of the bench which provided a spark to the team. I also feel like I was able to showcase some of my skills and potential to the coach that I just started playing for a few weeks ago. The weekend went pretty well also. I scored 8 points, had at least 5 assists, made fifty percent of my shots, and started in the first game on Saturday. Once again, these weren’t the best stats, but I felt like I gained some trust from the coach and controlled the game well which led to a win against a great team. The last 2 games of the tournament weren’t terrible, but I could’ve done better in the third game and would’ve liked to win the last game for the championship. I only made 1 out of 4 shots in the third game and took just 1 shot in the championship. A big reason for my performance immediately dropping was a position change. I was moved to the shooting guard position and our point guard turned the ball over multiple times and looked me off after being open for an easy shot attempt multiple times. I didn’t let this get me down due to my contributions to the team throughout the tournament. I was happy with my performances but not satisfied with them.
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My most productive practice sessions occurred during this week. I recorded a total of 165 shots taken and played in multiple pick-up games at Rise Monday. 75 of these attempted jump shots were catch-and-shoot mid-ranges and the other 90 were pull-up mid-range shots. I went 47/75 and 52/90 on these shots.
Tuesday was similar to Monday since I attempted only 15 fewer shots that day. I made 37/50 catch-and-shoot mid-range shots, 32/50 3-pointers, and 35/50 pull-up mid-ranges. I also targeted my biceps in the gym later in the day even though I was supposed to work my back out as well. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to maintain this great start to the week. I spent all of Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning at my house working on my ABC project for my AP history class. I worked on the project for 9 hours straight and finished it at 6 A.M. This meant I didn’t sleep at all and would’ve had to get ready for school soon so I decided to miss half of the school day. I went to my team practice after school and that was the only basketball I played throughout the two days. Luckily, I was able to practice a lot more the next day. I went to Rise and attempted 200 shots. I went 51/75 on catch-and-shoot mid-ranges, 54/75 on 3-pointers, and 28/50 on pull-up mid-range jumpers. I hit a plyometric workout after putting up shots to finish my Friday. The weekend included a 3 game tournament, a freestyle practice, and another plyometric workout. I performed unsatisfactory in the tournament due to a lack of aggressiveness and not shooting enough. I went 3/9 from the field throughout the 3 games and only had 10 points. I could’ve blamed my rough performance on my pinky that dislocated around 10 days prior or the fact that I was trying to find my groove with a new team but most of it was probably mental. Being confident and aggressive are necessary for playing my best version of basketball. On Sunday, I finished up my week at Rise with another plyometric workout and a fun individual practice with my earbuds in. My practices were intense all week and the only thing I truly regret was how I procrastinated on my project which affected some of my time that could’ve been used to play basketball or workout. The beginning of my week started with a practice for my new AAU team. The practice was centered around running plays and a few drills. I wasn’t able to work on my individual game much because of this. Luckily, Tuesday was a different story. I shot 75 3 pointers, 75 catch and shoot mid-range shots, and 75 pull up mid-range jumpers. After this, I played 2 on 2 games, 3 on 3 games, and ended the day with 50 freethrows. I made 41 out of the 50 free throws.
On Wednesday, I spent my time at the YMCA. I wanted to get in the pick-up games as soon as I arrived but I had to shoot freethrows first. I attempted 75 and made 64. After shooting my free throws, I obviously went to play in some 5 on 5 games. Thursday was similar to Monday since I had another practice. This practice was for the A team of the organization and not the B team. I was put on the B team to have a better opportunity to showcase my skills for the coach of the A team. This is why I’m currently attending practices for both teams. I was able to shoot 50 free throws after the end of practice though. I went 43/50 on them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to work on my game at all on Friday unlike the past few days. Although this was unusual of me, the opportunity to go to a Charlotte Hornets game for free was rare also. I spent the Friday evening and night with my friend at the game. As expected, the Hornets lost, but I had an amazing time. Over the weekend, I played in my first tournament with the A team and B team and played some more basketball for fun at the YMCA the next day. My performance in the tournament games could’ve been much better since I was missing a lot of open 3 pointers but I did the best I could. The following day I played some pick-up basketball and worked out my chest and triceps in the gym at the YMCA. This week probably could’ve gone better due to only shooting free throws on 3 days but I did make an effort to attempt them when I had the time. |
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May 2024
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