BOYS BASKETBALL

Team camps are a time of testing

Michael Odom
michodom@jacksonsun.com
University School of Jackson coach Oliver Simmons yells from the bench as his team takes on Middle College during a Union University basketball team camp at Jackson Christian on Tuesday.

There might be a scoreboard above the court, but for local basketball coaches, those might as well be turned off.

Union University is hosting its annual team camp this week at multiple sites in Jackson, including Union, Jackson Christian and West Jackson Baptist Church.

On Tuesday night, Jackson Christian, Trinity Christian Academy and University School of Jackson played close together against teams from San Antonio (Texas), Tupelo (Mississippi) and Memphis.

Chemistry key for players at team camp

Coaches were looking at different aspects of the way their team played, but all three local coaches said score wasn’t one of them.

“We are putting in a new system,” USJ coach Oliver Simmons said. “We have played one way for the last three years, but we are changing it a little bit. I could care less about who wins each game, but how the system works for these players and who fits where in the system.”

Gone are Clayton Hughes and George Markos, who have been the leaders for the Bruins for the past couple seasons. So who is going to be that go-to player?

“We are going to have to replace them by committee,” Simmons said. “Everyone is going to play, and that makes our weakest link tougher. We still have Brandon Craig, but the pieces around him have to learn to play."

The team gained experience playing a fast-paced Covington team early in the day before playing Middle College and Eagleville in the evening.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way we have played with all three teams,” Simmons said. “We went 5-1 yesterday, and we are 3-1 today.

“We have played teams that are more to this style, but we have executed. We have only been doing this new system a week, so I am pleased.”

Trinity Christian Academy coach Ken Northcut talks to his team as they take on Tupelo Christian during a Union University basketball team camp at Jackson Christian on Tuesday, June 21, 2016.

Graduation will force Trinity Christian Academy to have a new look this coming season with much of the scoring now gone. The Lions were hit even harder this week with half of the team gone on youth trips.

But Ken Northcut is one that is still looking to get the best out of his team.

“I am looking at our strengths and weaknesses,” Northcut said. “Every year is a different team. This allows us to see what we need to focus on when the school year starts back. A lot of our sets come according to our strengths.”

The lack of a full team makes measuring the success even harder, but Northcut knows what he is looking for out of his team.

“We have played some tough teams and taken some losses, but we have played well in some of those games,” Northcut said. “Tonight against Tupelo was our best offensive game of the week. Our four keys are defense, rebounding, taking care of the ball and finishing plays on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Doing the little things well is how we base our success.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Union Basketball Camp - USJ v Mid. College, TCA v TCPS

Jackson Christian had the opportunity to play in its own gym with the majority of the starting rotation back for another season.

“The main things for me are A) How hard are you playing? Are you giving 100 percent effort? and B) For those guys that haven’t had many opportunities to play, giving them the opportunity to show what they can do,” Jackson Christian coach J.D. Byrd said.

The Eagles played back-to-back on Tuesday evening with Sunnybrook Christian (Texas) followed by Tupelo Christian (Miss.), and they played well in both games.

“Our big goal right now is attention to detail,” Byrd said. “We want to make sure we are sharpening those things we are doing bad and cut down on mistakes.”

Byrd looks at a smaller scale than each game to see if his team is being successful.

“I could care less what the score is,” he said. “I look at each quarter as a new game, and I want to look at possessions and how we are playing to our level of perfection.”

Michael Odom, 425-9754