Attending a reputable basketball clinic is the best approach for a budding basketball player to develop skills and get noticed. Camps are a great way to get spotted by coaches. If you stand out, the scouts might recruit you right then and there, giving you the chance to earn a college athletic scholarship or even a ticket to the NBA.
Some camps focus on talent enhancement, while others help students get noticed by university basketball scouts. Naturally, coaches will want to see the best candidates in person before making a final selection.
Most college basketball coaches will not even consider offering a scholarship until they have seen a player play in a camp. Let’s look at the top basketball camps and clinics that trained the NBA stars we know today. These clinics are becoming incredibly popular, and a stellar showing here can open the door for many opportunities.
NBC Basketball Camps
The NBC Basketball Camp Program is widely known to be the best and most comprehensive basketball training camp in the world. Fred Crowell, the camp’s founder, started the inaugural camp in 1971 in Cusick, Washington, with 108 campers. Today, it is known as a seasoned camp for nearly half a century.
Some of what NBC Camps has to offer are summer camps, year-round clinics, fall and spring training academies, international travel teams, and other programs. Its camps, which are located across six different nations, include training in basketball and volleyball.
Over 300,000 athletes have been through NBC’s training programs over the past 50 years. Pro players like Angie Bjorklund and Heather Bowman went to NBC. NBA players such as Dan Dickau, Luke Ridnour, and Adam Morrison also attended NBC.
The Hoop Group Inc.
The Hoop Group Inc. strives to help players, coaches, and parents achieve their dreams through top-notch training, competition, and exposure. Since the summer of 1963, Hoop Group has been running world-class basketball camps.
Bob Kennedy, former head coach at St. Anthony High School, organized his first ever camp for young athletes at the Trenton CYO in 1963. As a result, hundreds of NBA players and thousands of NCAA stars have come through the Hoop Group’s camps.
Those who joined this camp have received excellent coaching and proven to perform well on the court. Notable alumni that came from The Hoop Group Inc. are NBA Legends such as Jamaal Wilkes, Bernard King, Ralph Sampson, Magic Johnson, and Dominique Wilkins.
LeBron James Skills Academy
The King, LeBron James has impressed basketball fans worldwide with his incredible play. Even today, he is among the top betting favorites to win the NBA MVP title. His team, the Los Angeles Lakers, is a popular early bet to win the 2023 NBA title with an NBA odds of 20:1.
The summer skills event has quickly risen to the list of premier events for promising young basketball players. In fact, a couple of NBA players have risen from James’ camp, which draws scouts and college coaches from all over the country to Las Vegas for the event. So if you handle college basketball and recruiting, you should never miss the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas.
Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier both attended the 2014 LeBron James Skills Academy Camp to get some pointers from the King himself. Furthermore, NBA stars Kemba Walker, DeMarcus Cousins, and DeMar DeRozan were among the elite roster at the 2007 LeBron James Skills Academy.
Five-Star Basketball Camp
Five-Star was founded in 1966 by two New York City basketball enthusiasts, Howard Garfinkel and Will Klein. Over 250,000 players and coaches have attended Five-Star camps and clinics since 1966. It has produced over 80 active NBA players and 250 alums who have gone on to play in the NBA.
Several NBA superstars have graduated from the school, including LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving. In addition, dozens of now-famous coaches got their starts at Five-Star, including John Calipari, Mike Malone, Rick Pitino, and Frank Vogel.
Point Guard College Basketball Camps
Point Guard College Basketball Camps have stood for excellence in providing training for basketball players and coaches. In fact, more than 14,000 young athletes from junior high school to college attend a PGC camp annually.
PGC Basketball has been the unchallenged global standard for 30 years, coaching players all around the world on how to “think the game,” “be the leader,” and “run the show.” As a result, campers at PGC Basketball learn to think like winners and become leaders on and off the court.
In the previous years, more than 105,000 players and 7,500 coaches have participated in a PGC camp. With PGC, campers will receive fundamental training and opportunities to enhance their abilities on the court more than anywhere else. Former campers who appeared in the NBA are Shabazz Muhammad, Jamal Murray, and Chasson Randle.
Final Thoughts
Players’ ability on the court is a crucial indicator of whether they have attended a premier or standard basketball camp. The basketball camps and clinics listed above, with their long-serving coaching staff that has trained many basketball stars, offer you the chance to enhance your skill set, acquire exposure, and be recruited.