The Phenom | The MSU Experience

First I'm going to say in no way am I an expert in the field of what to do as you travel to the road of D1 or any other college experience for your student athlete.  I'm just a mom that loves my kid and wants to make sure his dreams become reality.  I also want to share what I'm learning so that if you have a kid with the same desires they can begin to reach their goals.

Lots of people have asked, "How did your son get to attend a camp at one of the top colleges in the land?"  That's the subject we'll tackle today.

Fortunately for me I have friends that know and love that my kid has this desire to play D1 basketball.  I received a Facebook inbox message from a friend that attended Michigan State informing me that another friend's son attended a basketball camp there the previous year. Knowing that MSU is one of Kyle's top selection of schools I immediately contacted my other friend to get the low low.  The process was very simple, wait for the information to be posted on the website and register.  That's it, simple huh?

Photo Cred: m.trendspig.com

Now if your son has ever been to a camp and they headlined several high profile athletes or coaches to attend you might have been let down.  Some camps definitely don't deliver on their promises but I found out that this was not the case at the MSU camp.  Not only did my son get to meet Coach Izzo but received instruction from Spartan players and other coaches on the Michigan State University coaching staff.  It was a great experience.  So much so that I recommend all my Momagers explore it as an option when you have determined which schools are on your players "wish list".   Kyle made his wish list out 1/2 way through Freshman year and I told him that I would try to get him on each of the campuses for a camp so he could see what type of program each offers.

So far we haven't gotten any recruiting information from MSU but he had a solid camp performance. He earned the Hardest Working camper award presented to him by Coach Izzo and Travis Trice.  His travel club coach has also mentioned that he sees some improvement from the camp on his jump shot. More than anything I think his confidence soared.  Mentality is 90% of this game, without it you are going to struggle.

There are tons of camps out there for your player but you have got to do the research.  Find out what is going to work for you economically and most importantly for your players development.  If they aren't ready for some of the larger camps look for camps hosted by NBA players, former and retired. They tend to be some of the smaller ones due to popularity and costs aren't necessarily as high as you think.  Unless you are KD....his camp was like $5,000???  Sorry I pay enough for his shoes.  You can also talk with your players coach and find out about invitational camps.  Camps aren't required but they are essential in my personal opinion to let players experience something they wouldn't get by playing in tournaments with travel and school teams.  Do you need to send your player to 5 camps a year...no! One it's expensive and two I think they will get worn out.  Pick 1 maybe 2, trust me they will get what they need.

Boogie has told me that he wants to return to the MSU camp next year and I plan on letting him go

again.  I did emphasize that he needs to attend one of the other schools from his list as well.  MSU is definitely his top pick but putting all your basketballs in one basket (if you will) isn't necessary smart.  Besides the Momager has done a little research and found out that they are interested and potentially signed a PG for 2016.  Depending on who is still on the current roster MSU might not need another guard but time will tell.  Camp won't hurt though because if they saw something great in him this year it's a given if he keeps at it they will only see more.

Good luck finding a camp for your baller.  It can be difficult with the amount of selections but just pace yourself, do the research and don't overspend!  Remember we still need those Single Mama Dollas for new kicks!




The Curvy Momager