Training Days: Part IV
Next Level Skills Basketball Academy Owner Jeremy Pope spent much of August training ambitious basketballers at Valor Academy, a second-year program he coaches just south of I-440 in Nashville. Coach Pope graciously shared some thoughts on the players he worked…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingNext Level Skills Basketball Academy Owner Jeremy Pope spent much of August training ambitious basketballers at Valor Academy, a second-year program he coaches just south of I-440 in Nashville. Coach Pope graciously shared some thoughts on the players he worked out recently. These are his words.
To share your off-season experiences, please DM @PrepHoopsTN anytime.
Connor Gilkey (2022), 6’3” G, Valor Academy
He really doesn’t care, but wants to play in college. His motor is incredible. He is always going. He never slows down. That is the biggest thing I have worked with him on…is actually to slow down. He knows when to go 100 miles per hour and when to slow down now. He added 10-15 pounds of muscle. His footwork is very, very improved. He used to be off-balanced a lot. Now, he is always on balance. He was our All-District player last year. He showed up for every single game and just worked, worked, worked. His work ethic is crazy. He is committed to improving every single time he hits the floor. Not afraid to try new things. The very first time I worked him out, I had him shooting three-pointers. I was always told I wasn’t allowed to shoot 3’s. At the time he was 6’2″ and I said, ’You need to learn to shoot 3’s. The only reason people tell you that you couldn’t shoot 3’s is because you didn’t practice it. Now he is trying to learn to jump stop.
Nemo Holmes (2023), 6’4” SF, Franklin Road Academy
I started working with Nemo about two years ago. He is my boy. He was about 5’6″, a little pudgy kid. He walks into the gym a month and a half ago at 6’4″ and 185. He shot up and slimmed down too. He is in good shape. He isn’t skinny. He has really good footwork. We are working on his 3-point shot more, but he finishes aroudn the rim really well. He is not dunking very efficiently right now. He is only 15 years old. I can just tell…from the last team I have seen him he has been working, working, working. His dad was a really good player at Trevecca. Nemo is long. He is big. He moves well. He handles the ball for a 6’4″ player. He understands getting low quickly. I think he can go D1. He is going to be really, really good (cackles). He was working out with my college guys before they left. They were looking at me like, ’Woah. Where did you find this kid?’ I thought he was a kid I never worked with before when he walked in this year. I kind of just looked at him. I was like, ’Who is that?’ Then his dad walked in too. I was like, ’What?’
Carson Badgett (2023), 5’11” G, Knowledge Academy
He grew up working out with Chaz (Lanier). He might be taller than 5’11″. I noticed him on the court that he was already pretty skilled as a freshman. I kind of notice when young men are really, really polite and how they carry themselves. When we were planning the All-Star Game, his mom followed me. I reached out and said, ’I noticed your son and the way that he carried himself and he is very mature.’ From the time July 4th to now, he has already made huge strides. He listens very well. He is a very bright kid. He handles the ball very smoothly. He is not the quickest. He has great footwork. Shoots the ball very, very well. Mid-range. Anything you ask this kid to do, he will just do it. He is very coachable. Long. Plays defense well. Handles the ball well. He just does everything. He is only 132 pounds. The kid is tiny. He needs to add weight, but that skill set is there. You can tell that he has been hanging out with Chaz. They kind of shoot and they kind of handle the ball the same way. He is comparable to that. He is not the quickest, but he always has space. He gets to his spot. He knocks down open shots. He plays with D13 AAU team.