Celtics coach eyeing Pinoy for LeBron cage camp
Boston Celtics assistant coach Kevin Eastman is looking to enlist the first Filipino cager for the LeBron James Skills Academy, the culminating camp of a five-leg annual summer series organized by Nike for outstanding under-18 high school players in Akron, Ohio.
Filipino basketball coach Eric Banes yesterday confirmed Eastman’s plan. Banes attended the LeBron camp early this month as Eastman’s VIP guest. He was in the
Last year, Eastman brought in two Taiwanese prospects for the inaugural LeBron camp. He recruited 7-2 Zhang Dayu of
Banes, a former
Banes said he intends to set up a similar program in
“I spoke with Kevin about bringing in a Filipino and he’s excited,” said Banes. “My dream is to find the first Filipino to join the LeBron camp where he can be scouted by top college coaches. This will open doors for more Filipinos to be exposed to US skills training. I think a top Filipino point guard will be able to impress in the camp. The chances of a wingman or a center to excel against American players are slim.”
Banes spent over $15,000 of his own money to invest in the basketball education and said it was worth every cent.
In his first stop, Banes spent three days with crack strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle in
It was Banes’ third immersion trip to the
“I’m lucky that Kevin invited me to observe the LeBron camp,” he said. “I took down notes, learned all there is know about his training modules and saw the application of new techniques in skills development related to dribbling, movement without the ball in offense and defense, shooting, passing and strength and conditioning. I was also exposed to restoration and recovery from injuries, protection from injuries and proper nutrition including the timing for the intake of fluids.”
Banes said during the LeBron camp, he met
Each year, four legs precede the LeBron camp in the Nike positional skills academies. The first is Amare Stoudemire’s camp for 20 high school big men. The second is Paul Pierce’s camp for 20 high school wing guards. The third is Nash’s camp for 20 high school point guards. The fourth is Vince Carter’s camp for 20 high school wing forwards. The 80 prepsters from the four legs are then invited to the LeBron camp.
Eastman is Nike basketball’s national director for skills development and conceptualized the skills academy summer series for elite youth.
Banes, 40, is now engaged in training 18 high school basketball players with an age range of six to 19 at the Palms Country Club in Alabang. He is also working with four golfers, from 15 to 57 years old, aiming to improve their yardage.
Banes said he hopes to organize a
“If there’s a sponsor out there willing to invest in the program, I’m sure we could invite Kevin and his staff to come over,” said Banes. “That would guarantee at least one Filipino player to go to the LeBron camp and get him the chance of a lifetime to be recruited into a US Division I school.”
(Note: Interested parties may contact Banes at cell number 0917-406-1987.)
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