BIG Basketball - training & games for college scholarship-seekers!

Huddle up! Wanna score like an NBA superstar or be a powerful playmaker? Like to grab more boards or learn how to get more steals? Hungry to get more athletic and stronger? Keep returning to this web page to quickly access the best video clips to grow your game at an accelerating pace. Which clip is your favorite?

Basketball Video Clips... Click!

______________________________________________________________

NIKE Commercial Extended!

________________________________________________________________

Marvin Gaye Sings National Anthem NIKE Commercial

________________________________________________________________

ShARC Shooting Sessions This Week

New... Monday, March 15th- Guys vs Gals, 6:30pm, Ross Norton Rec

Thursday, March 11th- 6:30pm, Gals; 7:30pm, Guys

_______________________________________________________________

First Team All-Tampa Bay: Boys

Eric Williams, Sr, Wiregrass, Center, 6'10"

Okaro White, Sr, Clearwater, F, 6'9"

David Ramirez, Sr, Gulf, SG, 6'3"

Jay Bowie, Sr, Tampa Prep, SF/G, 6'5"

Tanner Wozniak, Jr, Keswick Christian, PG, 6'5"

Honorable Mention: Rashawn Rembert (Sickles), Sean Culkin (Indian Rocks Christian), Jamal Cherry (Tampa Prep), Dino Tabakovic (Countryside), Gabe Moton (St. Pete)

POY: Okaro White

*Note: Oldsmar Christian has a number of strong prospects, but they have players from Florida and Georgia and do not participate in the FHSAA Tournament. Therefore, I do not place their players in the same category as local teams for all-county selection. They are like IMG, Monteverde, Oak Hill Academy, Montrose Christian or DeMatha HS.

________________________________________________________________

First Team All-Tampa Bay: Girls

Amber Henson, Jr, Sickles, Center/PF 6'4"

Tamara Taylor, Jr, Boca Ciega, F/G, 5'10"

Nicole Adams, Jr, Gulf, PG/G, 5'10"

Latavia Dempsey, Sr, Boca Ciega, G, 5'7"

Jerica Coley, Sr, Boca Ciega, PG/G, 5'8"

Honorable Mention: Kayla Walton (Northside Christian), Kamika Idom (St. Pete), Shantel Houston (Wesley Chapel), Hannah Demarest (Osceola), Collette Eule (Tampa Catholic)

POY: Tamara Taylor

__________________________________

Ricky Quiroz (16.38 ppg) and Sean Culkin (16.22 ppg) placed #1 and #2 respectively as the top two scoring sophomores in Pinellas this past season, according to the Leaders stats registered with TampaBay.com ! Congratulations, Guys!

Tori Trador, a nationally-ranked 3FGs shooter, will not just be a spot-up shooter next season! Tori is training with Gabe McMillen and in ShARC Attack shooting sessions to become an expert at using screens and picks, while creating open looks off the dribble. Monday night, the Tampa Bay 3FGs shooting champ was lighting up the nets off separation moves! A fine group of attentive guys and gals had a very competitive competition with the guys winning early and the gals winning late. Ryan Ramirez will not be just a post player at Clearwater HS next year! Next session is Thursday at Ross Norton.

On Sunday afternoon, Gabe McMillen trained some of the finest young male prospects, because of three openings with older prospects out-of-town. Ricky Quiroz, Luke Blume and Jarron King will be three of the best players in Tampa Bay if they continue to grow their multi-dimensional skills in training sessions like Gabe is offering. Gabe already is training stars like Tanner Wozniak, Sean Culkin, Chris Whiting, Adam Barker, and Flynn Bluett. Stephen Brown is working hard to catch up with the best all-around ballers who can create off the dribble, so well. We're trying ot create more opportunities for training as the waiting list is growing for training with Gabe.

Gabe also trained rising stars Hannah Demarest, Emma Loucks, Tori Trador and Kristen Scholl on Sunday. I cannot imagine what these college prospects will be capable of doing after six months of training with Gabe and in BIG by next season! Excellent work!

Florida Angels (Hillsborough), with Amber Jennings and Rachel Briere who train in BIG, won their pool in the Sarasota USSSA tournament, ... then defeated the X-Factor team from Pinellas and in the finals won against South Florida's Lady Wilcats to win the tournament! X-Factor won all three of their games on Saturday in their pool and has BIG players Kayla Kivinski, Maddie Wilson, Madison Rubino, and Jordan Berenbaum in their lineup. In a couple weekends, they will be competing again in a Tampa Bay tournament. Strong group of MS ballers coming up!

Visual learners will soon notice a growing library of video clips on hundreds of Signature Moves that will be reminders from our lessons and help our members find the best moves in the history of basketball from this website. Keep coming back to watch our expanding library of chosen video clips.

Tanner Wozniak, 6'5", pg/sg, Class of 2011, has been selected to play on Dwight Howard's Warriors 17U AAU team.

Flynn Bluett, 6'1", pg, Class of 2010, has been selected to play on the Pinellas County All-Star team.

Chris Whiting, 6'1", g, Class of 2010, has also been selected to play on the Pinellas County All-Star team and was selected 1st Team All-Conference.

David Ramirez and Nicole Adams, both players at Gulf HS, each won POY awards for the Sunshine Athletic Conference (West) recently. The announcement should be forthcoming in the St. Pete Times and at TampaBay.com.

________________________________________________________________

ShARC Attacks Will Intensify Around The Bay!

How many of these players who train in Big can you name?

Do you know their national, state, Bay and county rankings?

The ShARC Attack season opened Thursday night, and the number of attacks and the intensity of them is projected to spike upwards!

Yes... the Tampa Bay area, especially the Pinellas side, has a significant number of the top three-point spot up shooters in the state.

Did you know that most of the top three-point shooters, both male and female, in Tampa Bay- train in BIG?

You know their names:

Adams

Andreassen

Bluett

Blume

Briere

Culkin

Demarest

Jennings

Kivinski

Logemann

Loucks

Quiroz

Ramirez

Trador

Wozniak

Zacur

... and others!

Now... we have a whole new bunch of hungry shooters in training, who will join this impressive group. They will stretch defenses to the breaking point as they shoot with supreme confidence, because they have taken the time to acquire supreme competence! Are you ready to read the list of new names who will attack from beyond the arc?

The next major stage in our progression is to help create the best scoring three-point high school shooters in the nation. How will we systematically make this major step to the next level?

We are beginning to teach the major Signature Separation Moves of the All-Time Greats and speed up the transition into those various moves during the course of the ShARC Attack Shooting Sessions! Last night, we introduced the Topping Move and the Larry Bird Ball-Fake Moves (Girls Only). Are the players who cane Thursday night practicing the moves daily now?

As the players perfect the separation moves, we will dramatically speed up the transition from one move to the other. Inch-by-inch and step-by-step, our most attentive and hard-working members will blow past the competition very soon in becoming unstoppable perimeter scorers. I can imagine coaches throwing up their hands in frustration as teams will now possess up to five fearless knock-down shooters on the court at a time. Can you imagine a team with five fearless knock-down shooters on the court together?

We understand that after many more of our members are known as "knock-down" shooters, the opposing coach will send out their best defenders to get in-their-grills! We are preparing our members in all the major techniques to crush and frustrate the best face-up defenders over the next eight months. Once our members know the following moves- Topping, Bird, Turkoglu, Kobe, James, Paul, Allen, Miller, and Hamilton; the local competition will usually seem extremely weak and unprepared. Can you imagine great spot-up knock-down shooters becoming unstoppable scorers beyond the arc, who come off picks and screens like the best pros?

Sample Lessons To Click...

(We've Selected Signature Moves From These Clips To Teach.)

Richard "Rip" Hamilton's Lesson

Kobe Bryant's Lesson

Reggie Miller's Lesson

Lesson: Larry Bird

Lesson: LeBron James

Lesson: Chris Paul

Lesson: Pete Maravich

A team with five fearless knock-down shooters doesn't have to just shoot 3FGs. No...No... No...! The threat of destroying a defense with threes opens up the lanes and areas of the court, so that teams can drive, isolate and pull-up much more effectively. However, unless a team can knock-down threes like layups, the defense can simply retreat back into a tight zone or helping M2M and suffocate the paint area. Does everyone appreciate the value of great three-point shooting?

College prospects must have the ability to knock-down threes in order to progress up the charts and get on the boards of college coaching staffs. Are you a great perimeter shooter, yet?

Would You Like To Become A Great Scoring Shooter?

Are You Ringing My Phone?

727-424-0049

*As more serious prospects enroll, the number of sessions will grow!

We are moving up to Pasco and will soon announce a second ShARC Shooting Session for those locked into Thursday AAU practice or other commitments. Keep visiting this site!

________________________________________________________________

www.BigBasketball.Net

Why Do You Want To Train With BIG?

To Excel In HS Championship Games Like This One!

Feel The Passion Of Competing!

Watch It Again!

2009 PCAC Clearwater -vs- Lakewood

_______________________________________________________________

TRYOUTS!

Wednesday, March 10th, 2009

Freshman & Sophomore Girls!

Clearwater Basketball Club's, "BIG SHOTS!"

Open Gym At Coachman Service Center!

6:00 - 8:00pm

No Cost For TryOuts.

Any Competitive Girl May Come!

TryOuts For AAU Team!

Director: Jim Appelt

Head Coach: Ron Brown

www.mapquest.com

_______________________________________________________________

LeBron James: The Standard For Greatness In Prep Basketball!

The LeBron James HS Career Highlights!

_______________________________________

Temptation To Play Games -vs- Will To Train!

Scholarship-Seekers Who Have Failed To Earn Strong Offers Did Not Play Too Few Pick-Up Games!

Train In BIG Basketball, Prepare Properly & Improve Systematically!

Call Now, Coach Ron, 727-424-0049

The Scholarship-Recipients Outwork 99% Of All Players In The Preparation Process!

Latest Starting Point: 8th Grade!

____________________________________________________

BIG SHARC SHOOTING RECORDS OF TAMPA BAY!

BIG Members' Records

Seasonal Record For Most Threes, Senior, Male, David Ramirez- 82

Seasonal Record For Most Threes, Junior, Male, Tanner Wozniak- 77

Seasonal Record For Most Threes, Sophomore, Male, Ricky Quiroz- 65

Most Threes In One Game, Any Male, Flynn Bluett- 10

Most Threes In One Half, Male, __________, ?

Most Threes In One Quarter, Any Male, Ricky Quiroz- 7

Seasonal Record For Most Threes, Any Female, Tori Trador- 74

Seasonal Record For Most Threes, Junior, Female, Nicole Adams- 45

Seasonal Record For Most Threes, Sophomore, Female, Tori Trador- 74

Most Threes In One Game, Female, __________, ?

Most Threes In One Half, Female, ________, ?

Most Threes In One Quarter, Female, ___________, ?

Highest Shooting % For 3FG Shooting, ?

Most Consecutive Threes, ______, ?

Most Consecutive FTs, ___________, ?

Highest FT Percentage, _________, ?

Most Consecutive FGs, _____________, ?

Highest FG Percentage, ________, ?

(Please Send In Details Concerning Additional Shooting Records For All BIG Members, and We Will Post Them. FG %, FT % 3FG%, etc. We Want To Fully Recognize Our Members For Their Wonderful And Noteworthy Achievements!)

________________________________________________________________

Watch Tanner Wozniak Score 26 Points In 1Q Last Season!

Tanner Scored 44 Points In The Game, But The 4th Q He Took Over!

I Assure You That Tanner Is Much Stronger Now Than In This Game!

_________________________________________________________________

Watch Nicole Adams Video Clip, 1000 Points, Now 1500 Points!

________________________________________________________________

MONDAYS & THURSDAYS

@ ROSS NORTON!

We Call Our Shooting Sessions, "ShARC Attack!"

Learn The Techniques Of NBA Superstar Shooters w/ Great Separation Moves!

We Teach Game-Speed Pro-Level Shooting Techniques!

Mondays & Thursdays, Ross Norton's Gym

Mondays: Battle Of The Genders

6:30 - 7:30pm

Thursdays: Separate Times For Guys and Gals

Gals: 6:30 - 7:30pm

Guys: 7:30 - 8:30pm

An unsuspecting team will wander into your gym with no idea the terrible terror of torrid three-point marksmanship that is about to befall them!

For the next eight months, you will be learning how to become a game-speed sharpshooter and perfecting your separation moves to destroy strong face-up defenders who want to play in-your-grill defense, but they will not be able to do anything to hinder you! They just will become more helpless victims of...

Your Personalized ShARC Attack!

Could you imagine a team sending three - seven members to ShARC Attack lessons?

Oh Yeah, the State Shooting Champions of IRC Did That Last Season (Sent Five), Didn't They? How Many Will Your Team Send?

This Season, We Won't Just Produce Great Spot-Up Shooters, We'll Produce Highly-Creative Three-Point Shooters Who Can Create Off-The-Dribble & Off Picks n' Screens!

Could You Imagine A Whole Team Of "Knock-Down" Sharpshooters Who Can Knock Down Threes Off-The-Dribble? Could Next Year's Team Of Sharpshooters Be Your Team?

Fee: 100.00 For Ten Sessions

(Print Universal Application From This Website & Attach Check)

Mail to: 7965 Cottonwoode Drive, Largo, FL 33773

(Very Limited Openings)

Where is Ross Norton's Gym?

1426 South Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue

Clearwater, FL

727-462-6025

www.mapquest.com

Contact Coach Ron to Reserve Your Spot In The Feeding Frenzy!

727-424-0049

_____________________________________

Alternate Training Site & Time

Gulf HS Gym

5355 School Road

New Port Richey, FL

www.mapquest.com

ShARCs Entering Gulf!

Saturday

March 20th

Middle School Girls: 10:00am - 11:30am

High School Girls: 11:30am - 1:00pm

POY and 1500 Point Club Member, Nicole Adams Is Planning On Coming

With Top Hopefuls Around North Pinellas And Pasco Counties!

_______________________________________________________________

An Historical Season For BIG Members In Tampa Bay!

The reports just keep pouring in about our members doing historical firsts, so soon I will report on as many of the historical firsts and amazing feats of our members that have not been done in many years! Keep coming back to read about it!

Once I compile all the info, I think you will be quite impressed!

Sample Of Achievements

The two top scoring sophomores in Pinellas are Sean Culkin and Ricky Quiroz!

Youthful Indian Rocks Christian Girls , Led By Tori Trador, Kristen Scholl, Jessica Logemann, Jamie Appelt, and Rachel Burnett; Get To Regional Finals For The First Time Ever!

Additionally, IRC Girls Had The Highest Average Scoring Average In Tampa Bay And Hit More 3FGs Than Any Team In The State Of Florida!

Furthermore, Tori Trador Led Tampa Bay In 3FGs And Was In The Top 5 In The Nation For 3FGs As A Sophomore!

Kayla Kivinski and Maddie Wilson Lead Tarpon Springs Middle To The Championship Over Safety Harbor MS And Other Teams For The First Time In Recent History!

Furthermore, Kayla Kivinski Won The Elk's-Sponsored State Title for FT Shooting And Champion of Champion's Shooting Competition With An Expenses-Paid Trip To Disney World!

Nicole Adams Is Selected To Play On One Of The Nation's Best AAU Teams, the NIKE-sponsored, Orlando Comets- Red!

Ricky Quiroz, Along With Luke Blume, Lead Shorecrest Prep To The Regional Quarter-Finals For the First Time In School History!

Furthermore, Ricky Quiroz Is Probably The First Player Ever To Hit 7 of 8 Threes In A Single Quarter Of Prep Ball In The History Of Tampa Bay!

Tanner Wozniak Scored 26 Points In A Single Quarter Of Basketball And Finished As The #2 Three-Point Shooter In Tampa Bay!

Jordan Berenbaum Led Her St. Pete Christian Team To The Championship Of Her Own School's Season-Ending Tournament For The First Time In The Nine Year History Of The Event With 30 Points Of Her Team's Total Of 44, While The Opposing Team Only Scored 31 Total Points!

Caroline Andreassen Was The Leading Freshmen Scorer In Pinellas County!

Kianna Mills Of Gulf HS Signed A Full-Scholarship Offer With Coppin State University In Baltimore, MD.

When You Total All Of The 3FG Shooters' (Made Shots) Who Have Trained In BIG, They Make A Significant Percentage Of The Top-Ranked Shooters!

Rankings For Tampa Bay!

David Ramirez (came a couple times and plans to come more) - #1, Tori Trador - #1, Tanner Wozniak- #3, Ricky Quiroz- #4, Luke Blume (came periodically over several years) - #5, Jessica Logemann - #5.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Scholarship-Seeker's Checklist

Sadly, 98%-99% Of HS & AAU Players Do Not Earn B-ball Scholarships! Why Would Any Parent Rely Solely On HS & AAU Programs To Help Their Children Earn Offers?

Players and Prospects Need To Work Down This Checklist To Improve!

0 Sign Up For ShARC Attack Shooting Sessions. (10 sessions, 100.00)

0 Register For Games. (12 Games, 100.00)

0 Register For Elite Fundamentals Training w/ Teaching Games. (10 sessions, 150.00)

0 Set Up A Home Fitness Center In Garage or Spare Room.

0 Train With A High-Level Personal Trainer Who Knows Basketball Athleticism Needs.

0 Periodically Train w/ Gabe McMillen To Learn PG/Perimeter Skills.

0 Set-Up A Photoshoot w/ Coach Ron & Rick Dohme For Prospect's Site.

0 Have Link To NCAA Clearinghouse With Pertinent Info Posted.

0 Raise Your GPA Above 3.5 and Score Above 1270 (SAT) To Qualify For Top Bright Futures Scholarship.

0 Register At The Best High School With The Best B-Ball Program And & Curriculum For Your Child's Major.

0 Daily Study The Best Professional Superstars' Games At NBA TV And/Or YouTube, And Perfect Their Signature Moves.

0 Study The Coaching Strategies Of The Top NCAA D1 Coaches To Learn To Think Like A Player-Coach And Team Leader

0 Play On A Shoe-Sponsored AAU Team Like NIKE or Adidas, If You Can Qualify. Of Course, Many HS Teams Form AAU/USSSA Teams Now.

0 Become An Excellent Citizen With A Consistent Community Service Record.

0 Become The Most Coachable Player, The Hardest Worker, And The Best Leader On Your Team.

0 Come To This Website Daily For Pertinent And Timely Information.

(How Many Of These Items Are Checked Off For Your Child?)

Remember: You must become an excellent citizen and student-athlete with a full and complete multi-dimensional game to move past the competition. Most prospects work on their game by playing too many games, like AAU tournaments every weekend and rec league games. They simply do not receive enough local training and are not held accountable for their daily incremental progress. Most players simply play and practice with their prep and AAU coaches, and parents think that process is sufficient. Historically, it is not enough. Most players never bring their academics and community service to the level where they are the most attractive candidates to college coaching staffs and admission offices. College coaches want prospects with college game-ready bodies. If your child does not have a tremendously athletic and strong basketball body, then he/she will only get the lower-level offers, if any. Earning a scholarship is a four to six year process! Do not wait deep into your HS career to prepare to earn a basketball scholarship. Understand?

Note: Print an application from this website and attach your payment (check or money order) and mail to the address provided. We use the ShARC Attack sessions as a filtering process to discover true prospects for our programming.)

If your child becomes scholarship-ready, then I will DIRECTLY promote your child to America's coaches. Additionally, you- as a parent, can directly notify the specific coaches you want to contact about this website for details about your child's progress and to your child's website. My goal is to link up your prepared child with the appropriate college choices. Understand?

_________________________________________________________________

Kayla Kivinski Wins State Shooting Competition With 24-25 FTs Made and Wins The Champion of Champions Award For Most Baskets Made!

Kayla won an all-expense paid trip to Disney, where she will get her trophy, and an invitation to the Regional Championships in Valdosta, GA.

I am especially proud of Kayla, because her shot had some structural flaws when she first came to BIG nine months ago; but she listened attentively and corrected her form. She now is a tremendous knock-down shooter from long threes to pull-ups. Kayla is really someone who is very special, and she is only in 8th grade!

_________________________________________________________________

Marching Into Our Spring Programming! Ready?

Chris Paul Rises At 4:30am to train like a champ! How 'bout you? How strong is your commitment level to train hard and wisely? Tired of losing? Frustrated with mediocrity? Hungry for a scholarship?

We are going to march up slowly with a staggered start to our Spring programming during March.

_________________

Historically, only 1% of prep players earn basketball scholarships, and only 2% of AAU players earn basketball scholarships. In BIG, we have a significant percentage of our prospects getting scholarships or getting a growing number of colleges tracking their progress.

Kevin Cantinol, Christian Bibi NDongo, Rachel Brown, Kianna Mills, Nicole Adams, Tanner Wozniak, Josh Brown, and Hannah Demarest have already earned scholarships or have very strong interest. The class of 2011 may be one of the largest classes in the history of Tampa Bay to earn full or partial basketball scholarships.

Why not take a different path than just playing on the HS or an AAU team?

Why not improve your odds dramatically?

Why not train with us?

__________________

Our training and partners are better than ever AND we communicate directly with America's coaches now to assist the scholarship-earning process!

Reasoning: Most AAU practices historically start from 7:00-7:30pm on any day from Monday through Thursday, so we are trying to finish our programming so AAU players may come to as much of our programming as possible. Does our schedule work for your family?

Mail a printed application from this website with payment to:

Ron Brown, 7965 Cottonwoode Drive, Largo, FL 33773

Call 727-424-0049 for information about our programs or send your questions via email to PinellasBigBasketball@Yahoo.Com .

_________________________________________________________________

Girls' Prep Programs On The Rise Or Firmly Established!

Some Programs Are Movin' On Up!

Parents Now Have A Nice Selection Of Great Choices Of Programs That Are Clearly Ahead Of The Rest!

IRC's Girls Program Receives The Top Over-All Ranking For Scholarship-Prospects To Consider In Tampa Bay, If You Agree With Their Mission's Statement!

Coach/AD Phil Farver has one of the strongest 2A Girls Teams In The State And Has Authored A Great Book For Coaches, Parents and Players.

(Read my reasoning below! Also, read about other fine girls' high schools with strong basketball programs for scholarship-seeking student-athletes to strongly consider. Historically, prospects who go to schools with strong basketball programs dramatically raise their probability of garnering a scholarship!)

The best basketball program in Tampa Bay for girls, if you agree with the Mission Statement of the School, may be Indian Rocks Christian for several important reasons. First, I really like the Christian environment and the spiritual emphasis. Second, I really admire the school's students and the atmosphere on campus. From the administration to the teachers to the Head Coach, I sincerely believe that they love and appreciate the students. Third, Coach Phil Farver truly loves and cares for his players, beyond the basketball court. Fourth, the basketball program is definitely on the rise. The team is very young and is still alive in the Regionals. Despite their youthfulness, they are in the Regional Finals against the defending state 2A Champs, Community School of Naples. The game is at IRC, Saturday, 7:00pm tip-off. IRC is currently the highest scoring team in all of Tampa Bay, they led the entire state in made threes, they are Number 18 in the nation in made threes, they have a nice group of JV players coming up and several high-level MS prospects are considering the program. Of course, I- Ron Brown- am closely tied to the team emotionally, because I train many of their team players in the off-season. The school's best female player in school history is Gabby Gattuso, and she has returned to help Coach Farver this season and perhaps in the future, after playing some pro ball in Portugal this past season. Gabe McMillen, the all-time leading scorer in Pinellas County history, who played professionally in Spain last season, and is an IRC grad, is now available to teach PG skills and pro-level shooting. For all these reasons, I rank IRC #1 in Tampa Bay for upside with youthful potential. Consider this, IRC was up on Bogie by ten at half-time earlier in the season and only lost by a half-dozen points!

Other teams that have many positive features and have strong programs to consider are Gulf HS in Southern Pasco County. Coach Mike Quarto is a demanding and tough coach, but I believe the girls know that he has a hidden softer side underneath the gruff exterior. For players seeking a scholarship, the team is a solid choice. Gulf is still competing for a spot in Lakeland in 4A, and they have a balance of experience with Kianna Mills and Nicole Adams, and youth that bodes well for the present and the future. Few Tampa Bay coaches work harder than Coach Quarto in helping deserving players get scholarship looks.

Coach Mike Quarto w/ POY Nicole Adams of Gulf HS

Head Coach Mike Quarto

The Boca Ciega Pirates, coached by Will White, is a program that has been very strong for several recent years! Currently, the team is led by veteran players, Latavia Dempsey and Tamara Taylor. However, they have a bright future with Alexis Ungro and Destiny Brown. Coach White has proven that he knows how to develop players who routinely earn basketball scholarships, and he knows how to get his teams to Lakeland for state championship contention.

Coach Double-D, Darren Dublin of Palm Harbor University, is another of my favorite coaches, and the school has a wonderful campus with high academic standards. Although the school is not the easiest to gain entrance, if your child can squeeze into enrollment, then the total school environment and offerings are exceptional. Coach Dublin really enjoys coaching and knows the game very well. Kristine Fuller is the returning star with a nice nucleus of ballers upon which to build.

For those students who are Catholic, both Tampa Catholic and St. Pete Catholic have elite basketball programs. This season, the competition between the two schools has been extremely close and energetic. Both teams are definitely Lakeland-ready, but unfortunately only one team will go, because there is only one spot through their Regional competition.

There are several other girls' prep programs that are very nice, too. I certainly do not know everything about all the programs, so I cannot comment intelligently about them and will continue to grow my knowledge.

However, I have never known a season with so may disgruntled parents and frustrated student-athletes as this past season. Numerous high-level players are extremely disappointed with their experiences at certain schools with poor or inexperienced administrative leadership, weak coaching and teammates who have low-work ethics and poor training habits. Amazingly, certain players have a more mature perspective on basketball commitment than any of the administrators or teammates at the entire school! Why should a student try to change a school culture of mediocrity?

Therefore, I believe it is my duty and responsibility to inform parents of serious basketball players of the best programs and to speak frankly of the pitfalls of weak programs that lack vision and commitment, so that parents and their children do not have to endure the same frustrations and disappointments that other families have recently experienced.

Elite and scholarship-seeking players usually have a much better experience with other like-minded student-athletes, who take their training and preparation very seriously, too.

Parents and scholarship-seekers- Does your school have a serious basketball program that actively and aggressively seeks to help its players earn academic and basketball scholarships and sets its sights on getting to Lakeland year after year?

_________________________________________________________________

Register Now, BIG Basketball Programs!

The Time Is Now To Make Your BIG Reservation!

In competitive sports, some players earn scholarships and most (98%)do not! Some teams win championships and most teams do not! Competitive sports are not politically-correct. Like the American free enterprise system, the best thrive... if they are prepared for success.

Please call Coach Ron, if you have any questions about eligibility to our programs and other pertinent questions, call 727-424-0049.

Please Print An Application From This Website and Attach Your Check, Note Which Sessions For Which You Are Registering Your Child, and Mail to:

Ron Brown, BIG Basketball 7965 Cottonwoode Drive, Largo, 33773

(Very Limited Openings!)

Grab A Training Buddy and Work Together To Earn Basketball Scholarships! Kianna Mills (left) and Nicole Adams have successfully used the method, now younger stars like Rachel Briere, Kayla Kivinski (pictured on right) and others can grab other hard-working and high-potential teammates to help motivate and encourage each other through the scholarship-earning process. Who is your BIG training partner? Do you still need one?

Locations: The Gyms are located in the Largo and Clearwater area. Generally, we train at Indian Rocks Christian, Ross Norton and North Greenwood. Details will be revealed in the next week.

_________________________________________________________________

Gabe McMillen (green jersey), the Pinellas All-Time Scoring Champ, the Stetson Scholarship-Earner, and the Pro Player with A Team In Spain Last Season Is Now A BIG Trainer!

Learn PG Skills From A Pro With A Silky Shot And Lightning-Quick Face-Up Separation Moves!

You Have 2,827 Reasons To Set An Appointment To Train w/ Gabe!

Coach Ron's Recommendation: "If you want to train in a small group of four players and become a scholarship-ready prospect with guard skills asap, then Gabe is the one you need to train with immediately. After watching his training with Flynn Bluett, Chris Whiting and Stephen Brown; I believe every scholarship-seeking player should set weekly appointments. The $20.00 training fee for 90 minutes is a great value, and Gabe has a firm but quiet manner that prospects enjoy. Gabe's training is as valuable as any session we offer in BIG Basketball. I give him my highest recommendation and support!"

How To I Make An Appointment? I am helping Gabe with scheduling, because it is important to place four players in training of the same gender with similar ability, skills and work ethics. Therefore, contact me and I'll help put together a strong session of four ballers.

If you have specific questions concerning Gabe's curriculum, contact Gabe, 727-251-6184.

_________________________________________________________________
Ask Coach Ron

#4Q- "Hey Coach, You say that shooting threes is so important, but my coach says that hitting the mid-range shot and driving skills are more important. Why are threes so important in your mind?

The first skill a college coach wants to see in a college prospect is picture-perfect shooting form. The first character trait is coach-ability.

The game used to be dominated by big centers and power forwards. The game was becoming a war in the paint with muscular and physical bigs becoming the most valuable players. The arc was painted onto the court to open the game up, to help it to flow, to raise the value of the perimeter player, and to create the home run effect of a made three. There are many more average size fans who can identify with average sized and highly-skilled players than there are bigs, so the decision to paint the arc brought millions, perhaps- billions of fans back to a heightened interest in the game.

Spacing is extremely important to the elite teams around the world. While most coaches just do not understand the value of spacing, the championship teams do. In order to be effective on offense against the best teams, at least four players on the court must be able to knock down threes. Ideally, every player can stroke beyond the arc. If a team has players who cannot hit threes, then the defense can play zones or collapse to provide help defense on the other players. Therefore, precious interior real estate is taken away and lanes are closed, so the only option left to a poor perimeter shooting team is perimeter shooting. Ouch!

However, if a player can knock-down threes and is fearless in taking them, then the whole offensive end opens up. A team that has five excellent and fearless perimeter shooters can take down almost any opponent on a given night, especially if they also have strong face-up moves and know how to use picks and screens.

After a player is a strong three-point shooter, the mid-range game, pull-ups, floaters and drives open up for that player. Additionally, the lanes open up for his/her teammates, too.

Therefore, college coaches want current prospects who can knock-down threes like layups. On March 4th, we are teaching a fresh new crop of new players how to knock-down threes like layups. Understand? Signing Up?

In BIG, I have made a very determined and focused effort to teach excellent three-point shooting skills. Consider the shooting ability of the IRC Girls, Nicole Adams, Tanner Wozniak, Ricky Quiroz, Flynn Bluett, Tyler Zacur, Andy Fullerton, Caroline Andreassen, Kayla Kivinski, Amber Jennings, Hannah Demarest and now Stephen Brown. In a shooting competition, these players can stroke with the best in Tampa Bay, the State and some can shoot with the nation's best. Not all of them have the classic shooting form of Gabe McMillen, our shooting coach; but they will continue to clean up their strokes in future practices.

Getting back to spacing. Most coaches have teams with terrible spacing. Most coaches also do not have a clue on how to build an offense around great perimeter shooters who may be on their teams now. I promise you that if I had some of our BIG shooters on a team I was coaching, they would be putting up strong numbers. After years of studying the best teams ever, I know how to get great shooters open looks. Great shooters with open looks can crush opponents and can knock-down ten to twenty threes in a row! A whole team of three-point shooters can leave the fans in a frenzy!

Every player should become the best three-point shooter they can to raise their stock. Perimeter shooting is a foundational skill, not the final skill.

#3Q- "Coach, I want to play on an AAU team and come to your training starting in March, what should I do ?

The best choice is to convince your coach to bring your whole team to BIG Basketball training! Could you imagine a whole team learning how to stroke game-speed threes, Signatures, Quick-Hitters and Team Dominator techniques? Why don't you tell your coach about this website?

If your AAU Coach is a control freak and demands that you must come to every practice, then ask him/her to schedule the team practices around BIG Basketball scheduling. I am trying to make adjustments so that as many serious scholarship-seeking prospects are able to come as possible. If your coach can meet me half-way in his/her scheduling, then that would be great.

If your coach will make no effort to flex so that you can attend our programming, then have a serious sit-down with your parents and make a family decision.

If you really want to earn a basketball scholarship, then your participation in BIG Basketball should be a much higher priority than AAU participation, unless you are an elite prospect on a shoe-sponsored AAU team like NIKE or Adidas. Shoe-sponsored AAU programs usually have a huge following by college coaches and scouts. Additionally, they have excellent training programs available to high D1 prospects on their teams.

In BIG, we often scrimmage strong AAU teams, have AAU players participating or have top local prep teams, who are also USSSA/AAU teams available to scrimmage. Additionally, we bring in college and former pro players to mix into our pick-up games, and you actually get to play an even number of minutes. Some young or slowly physically maturing players just sit on the bench during important AAU games. Enjoy sitting on the bench?

If your goal is truly to get a basketball scholarship, then your commitment to wise and systematic training must be greater than AAU participation, although the games and crowds usually mesmerize players into a false sense of confidence.

I wonder if current seniors, without any scholarship offers and who have been playing AAU ball since they were eight on a variety of teams, feel like they had too much wise training now?

The best decision is to do both, but if it comes down to either/or, choose BIG!

Economically, for the cost of a few tournaments, you can get a quarter or a half a year of training in BIG Basketball. AAU tournaments involve travel, lodging, meals, and tournament expenses. The expenses are multiplied when the whole family is involved in traveling weekend after weekend.

In these tough economic times, BIG Basketball is very appealing. It is probably wiser to attend the important tournaments, after proper preparation, where the college coaches and scouts flock, than all the low-level tournaments where you will receive little notice. Does that explanation make more sense to you and your parents?`

#2Q- "Hey Coach, I am on a team where I do not get much playing time. I think I should start, but I am not. What should I do?"

Your goal is PPM, that is- Production Per Minute! If your coach doesn't see your value to the team, then you should focus upon raising your production level in all the multi-dimensional categories with a special emphasis upon team ball, ball security, rebounding and defense. Make sure that no one on the court works harder than you do. You should attempt to lead the team in Production Per Minute. Take the minutes you are on the court and calculate what your totals would be in a full game. For example, if you score five, rebound four, give three assists, block one shot and make one steal in 8 minutes or one quarter; then your totals would be 20 ppg, 16 boards, 12 assists, 4 blocks and 4 steals. These stats are fantastic! These numbers assume that you never get tired!

Some coaches have their "pets" and "golden boys/girls", and they are just as susceptible to prejudices and parental influence as any other people. All you can do is focus on becoming as valuable to the team and to college coaches as possible. If one person, who happens to be your coach, thinks you do not deserve playing time; then recognize he/she is only one person. Get yourself into a better situation after a discussion with your parents.

Many high school coaches are ill-prepared to coach, and the pay is usually terrible; so the best coaches do not need all the responsibility with minimal financial reward. God bless our quality coaches!

If you are a college prospect who plays seven minutes per game, then hopefully- I will find you and recognize you. Most scholarship players will get playing time, unless the coach is really clueless or there is a conduct issue!

Use your anger, frustration and disappointment to fuel your training sessions. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team, then he trained like few players have ever trained. While most prospects shrink away with crushed egos, you must take your frustrations out on the weights, bands and other training tools. If you play a few minutes in a game, then go right to the weight room after the game and do the hardest workout of your life! Michael Jordan trained in the school gym with his coach constantly hearing the ball in the early morning hours. Michael made his point about the kind of player he was and the kind of work ethic he possessed!

The AAU season, BIG Games and transferring to another school are legitimate options. Perhaps, another school's coaching staff will value your game, although it may have to be a private school, because of penalties and restrictions. School choice is a family decision. Therefore, talk to your family about ALL the positives and negatives and pray about your decision before you make your choice. Ask basketball experts if you really have game or just think you have game, before you just transfer to another school or AAU team.

If any parent wants my take on local school coaches, I have strong opinions and am always willing to give my take. However, parents and players must always take the final authority on where to get an education and play. As you know- I strongly believe the best prospects should play for teams who historically go to Lakeland, if possible. Coaches, who make a year-round commitment to training and games, are also the best coaches for true college prospects, because soon they will probably be knocking on the door to go to Lakeland for the State Semis.

#1 Q- "Hey Coach, I am a high school senior, and I have no solid offers from any college. What should I do if I want to still play in college?"

You have two probable choices. The first is to Red-Shirt yourself. You can still go to college the first year and keep your academics progressing, especially if your grades are shaky. However, you will have to grow your game during your freshman year to the point where you are scholarship-ready. You'll need to get on the NCAA Clearinghouse, if you are looking for basketball scholarships in your future.

The second option is to consider playing for a D3 or a smaller Christian college that is part of the NCCAA, if you are a Christian- where you can enjoy the game and the college experience. Ask yourself, "Am I realistically able to make a D3 or Christian college team?" If not, then Red-Shirt yourself and get to work!

Another viable option is to spend a year in a Prep School, according to Ken Kinnear. Ken is a local expert with years of insight and experience.

If you feel that you are going to just die if you cannot get a scholarship this season, then your attention has to be to develop your personal game asap. If you are under 6'7" (guys) or 6" (girls), then you'll have to develop your face-up guard skills very quickly. Give Gabe McMillen a ring and grow your guard skills to the college-ready level. You'll probably have to work on your athleticism development three or four hours daily to build a college body. Learn all the Signatures, Quick-Hitters and Team Dominators concepts described at this website, and play way up when you are competing. Train with current college players and former pros to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your game.

You'll have to visit specific colleges that might have an interest in you and hope you can hook up as a walk-on or ideally earn one of the precious scholarships, even if it is a partial. This approach is an uphill battle, so you probably should just admit that you did not get yourself ready the last four years, and now- you'll have to take the time to get yourself ready. What is one year anyway? Big deal.

Go Get 'Em!

________________________________________________________________

Games... Games... Games Should Be Replaced By Wise Training... Wise Training... Wise Training! Then, Play A Reasonable Number Of Games!

_________________________________________________________________

Professional Photographer, Rick Dohme, Is Now Available To Take Pics Of Your Child!

After seeing the quality of Rick's work and having a lengthy conversation with him, I have decided to make Rick BIG Basketball's official photographer. If you want a professional website with pics that are simply awesome, then Rick should take them. We will have periodic shootings or you can contact Rick directly and set up a shoot to add pics that make your child's website really stand-out above the rest! You can develop your own website or hire a pro, but Rick's pics should be used to make a lasting visual impression!

Reminder: I do not want to seen any of Rick's proofs on any facebooks or cell phone screens. Let's pay for what we get. Understand?

Sample Rick's Work... www.PhotographyByRickDohme.com See Indian Rocks Christian, Password: IRC

_________________________________________________________________

The Single Most Important Factor For Any Prospect Is Daily Incremental Progress!

For Example: Dunk A Progressively Bigger & Heavier Ball Off One Foot, Then Two Feet!

Jump On Progressively Higher Platform Stools Until You Are An Explosive Leaper!

Shoot In Ever-Increasing Arcs Starting Under The Basket And Progress Five Feet Beyond The Arc To Become A Great Shooter!

Shoot With Perfect Form And Measure Your Shooting Performance Against The Clock!

Incrementally Increase Resistance Band Tension or Weight Resistance In Your Training!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BIG Member, Kayla Kivinski, Tarpon Springs MS

Led Her Team To The 1st Championship In The Recent History Of Her School!

Recent State Shooting Contest Winner Going To Regionals!

Interested in Signing Up As A BIG Member?

What you will receive? You'll be taught the Signature Moves, Quick-Hitters and Team Dominator techniques of the best players in the history of the NBA, as well as, the latest cutting-edge techniques of the best collegians.

We will invite scouts and college coaches to come to our training and games to watch you play, within the guidelines of the governing organizations.

If you become a true prospect, we will promote your progress from the website, so America's coaches and scouts can discover you.

Finally, we will build your basketball athleticism with resistance bands, so you can develop a college body for your next level of competitive basketball.

Some players may want to train with successful trainer, Jake Moore, for an additional charge through his business.

We have Teaching Games, Scrimmages and other Games against various strong teams to hone and sharpen your skills when the school season is not in progress.

We will attempt to link you with the best college team that fits your needs and their desires, as well.

Contact Coach Ron for details. Print an application from this website.

________________________________________

Hey Parents!

Don't forget to take your camera to the games, training sessions and practices! Click those pics and email them often. College coaches, players and fans love to see great pics!

For professional pics, contact Rick Dohme. The better your pics, the more value they will bring to the website.

________________________________________

Hey College Coaches!

If you would like to know which Tampa Bay prospects are scholarship-ready, contact me today. I'll give you honest and clear evaluations and answer your questions. My goal is to link the qualified prospect with the college program that is a mutually good fit. The current trend for the quality of play in the Bay Area is strongly upward. Both the boy and girl prep programs have some strong D1 and D2 prospects.

Almost every college coach has heard of Okaro White of Clearwater HS in Pinellas County and John Henson of the North Carolina Tarheels and his little (6'5") sister, Amber of Sickles HS in Hillsborough County.

What We Do

We teach the lessons of Superstar Signature Strategies, Techniques & Moves learned by studying the games and favorite moves of the best all-time NBA players. We evaluate member player's strengths and suggest the most effective moves, techniques and strategies. We study the best coaching strategies and teach your child to play like a player-coach on the court. We also teach Quick-Hitters used by two or more players, and Team Dominators for the whole team to learn.

We also teach the Speed-Reading the Key Reads. Generally, new players come into our program with jumbled, hazy and slow-court reading skills, we will greatly help your child clarify his/her vision to see and create opportunities.

Another new area of focus is to teach your child to discover his/her "Kill Zone"! The "Kill Zone", a phrase coined by Kobe Bryant, is the starting spot to begin the most effective chosen Signature Moves by your child.

We invite you to evaluate our program as we consider whether your child is a good fit for our training:

Free Consultations
Proven Results: Numerous Referrals
Satisfaction Guaranteed

Tanner Wozniak (above left) is now one of the best big guards in Pinellas County with some of the best skills of any player in the State of Florida. He looks rather non-threatening in 6th grade! Tanner was just chosen as one of the top 18 players in the state by Prepstars.com.

www.TannerWoz.com

Kevin Cantinol is now playing ball at Gulf Coast, after transferring from Ole' Miss!

Contact Information:

Coach Ron Brown 727.424.0049

pinellasbigbasketball@yahoo.com

Largo, FL 33773
ph: 727-424-0049
pinellasbigbasketball@yahoo.com