Written by Thomas Gordon
Always assume you’re being watched.
That’s the advice that Coast2Coast co-founder James Blackburn stressed to participants at the
camp held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For basketball players with professional aspirations, it’s important to realize scouts, coaches and
agents look at a lot more than just what you do on the court. Scoring 20 points on 50% shooting
is fantastic. But if those watching you see a player who doesn’t respect teammates or coaches,
walks through warmups or lacks focus off the court, the on-court results won’t matter in the
slightest.
At the Coast2Coast Basketball Showcase, held over two days at Cheyenne High School,
approximately 90 players with varying degrees of basketball experience had the chance to put
themselves on the radar of professional teams. Each player was placed on a team and given an
hour to practice, followed by three guaranteed games and possibly more depending on outcomes.
The showcase put on by Coast2Coast Basketball is one of the best around in large part because
of the coaching staff. This event had nine coaches with experience from all over the world. Some
of the countries that these coaches came from included Romania, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia
and more. For players looking at a potential international career, these were the men to listen to.
With only a few days to demonstrate their abilities, many participants made the most of their
experience. The games were fast-paced and competitive. Another perk of this camp was having
legitimate referees officiating all the games. It was easy to tell these were more than just pickup
games at the local gym.
An added benefit of following a tournament format over the course of the showcase was that
players had time to network in between practices and games. Each coach stood ready to talk and
discuss the pro experience with his players. Scouts, agents, general managers and other coaches
sat in the stands or walked around offering advice to those looking for it.
As with any tournament, there were winners and losers. However, while the outcomes may not
have been what the players were hoping for, each had an opportunity to get more film to increase
their chances of getting contracts in the future. Every game was live-streamed by InStat, and
participants will be able to download their team’s games to cut and edit into their own highlight
reels. Exposure is one of the biggest results of the Coast2Coast camp.
But as Blackburn said, it’s not always about what happens on the court. Professionals need to act
and remain professional in all that they do. With the showcase in Vegas wrapped up, players will
get to see if their hopes of furthering their basketball careers will become a reality.