SALMON ARM SYNERGY FALL BASKETBALL BEGINS THIS WEEK

 Sorry for the late notice. With school starting up, volleyball, football, and cross country running getting organized and underway, things have been busy. Synergy Basketball is starting this week (Tuesday, September 13th to Thursday, September 15th) at Shuswap Middle School. Our Fall Program will consist of training opportunities for our Athletes in Grades 6 to 12. Any Synergy Members can sign-up for the following sessions: 

Tuesday and Thursday Mornings - at SMS - from 7:00 AM to 8:15 AM… Athletes must sign-up for both Sessions… Maximum Number of Participants = 36

Wednesday Nights - at SMS - from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM … Maximum Number of Athletes = 36

Thursday Nights - at SMS - from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM… Maximum Number of Athletes = 36

***Athletes can only sign-up for one evening session; however, if not full, an athlete will be permitted to attend both evening session. 

***Athletes can attend both Morning Sessions and one Evening Session… Again, if not full, an athlete could attend all four sessions, if numbers permit. 

Cost of our Fall Program (for Returning Athletes from our Spring Program) = $30.00… Cash or Cheques (payable to “Salmon Arm Synergy Basketball”) must be paid at the first session the Athlete attends.

Our Fall Program will run from September 13, 2022, to November 3, 2022. 

We hope that all Athletes are participating in one of our School Sports this Fall - Football, Volleyball, Cross Country Running, etc. Being active, diversifying one’s athletic pursuits, being coached, and competing with a group of individuals who are committed and have a common sacrifice has huge benefits in helping one become a better basketball player - as long as, our basketball players are continuing to w ork on developing their games. 

Our Spring Program will focus on shooting, fundamental skills in passing - finishing - and defence, fitness and agility, and mental toughness. Athletes must bring their Synergy Binders to every training session and for those who do not have a Synergy Binder (Sr. Boys), please bring a binder that you will use to training sessions. 

Synergy’s Fall Focus is to help our Athletes prepare for their upcoming School Basketball Seasons, and continue to aid our Athletes in their overall development as basketball players. 

As the Top Basketball Players in the Province train every weekend, in Langley, from now until the end of October, beginning next weekend, Synergy is going to help our local basketball players work on their skills and improve their games. Please keep in mind, Synergy will be following the same philosophy as Basketball BC and Basketball Canada, which is to provide opportunities for athletes to work on skills, fitness, and mental toughness. Synergy (at all levels) will not be participating in any games, leagues, tournaments, etc. against other programs. Synergy is not insured to participate to compete in any games against other programs; however, we are insured (through BBC) to practice, train, and compete within our Program.

NEW MEMBERSHIP … New Athletes to Synergy may register in our Fall Program, at a cost of $50, and if the new member registers before Thursday, September 15, 2022, they will be permitted to start Training Sessions on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. It will take several days to register New Members with Basketball BC.

“If you want to stay in basketball, devote yourself to shooting. If you’re already a good shooter, become a better one.”  ~ Nick Nurse (Head Coach - Toronto Raptors)

“When I started watching the games, the other thing I noticed was that the quality of play was bad, especially the shooting. The ball did not go in the hoop at any reasonable kind of percentage because nobody shot it with proper form - meaning footwork, angle of the wrist, and elbow, backspin on the ball” … ~ Nick Nurse Rapture 2020… After returning from Coaching Pro Ball in Europe, Nick Nurse goes to his first AAU Basketball Tournament and does not like anything he sees. 

Please keep in mind, Synergy, for years, has been a progressive Basketball Program, and we continue to evolve since our early beginnings. Being closely linked to University Basketball Coaches, Basketball BC, and now having been recognized by Basketball Canada for what we do with our athletes in our program, we are encouraged to keep moving forward by emphasizing our Standards, Core Values, and Philosophy. We are not and don’t want to be like other club basketball programs that make money and attend lots of tournaments. Focusing on skill, fundamentals, mental toughness, and the overall athlete, Synergy emphasizes it teaching around Behaviour, Culture, and Leadership. Taking a page from Nick Nurse and his concerns about player development, and listening to the praise from BBC and Basketball Canada, Synergy will focus on Shooting, Footwork, and Finishing this Fall. Athletes… stick to the Process and enjoy the Journey… Success takes patience, hard work, commitment, and sacrifice. See you on the court!

BASKETBALL OPEN GYM THIS WEEK - Tuesday, August 22, 2022

 For those who want to train and play, I will be opening the SMS Gym for Basketball on Tuesday, August 22, 2022, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Please bring your water bottle, clean indoor basketball shoes, and your Synergy Binder. We will do lots of shooting and play 1on1, 2on2, and 3on3. If enough players attend, we will play some full court. I will be opening the gym one more day this week; however, the second day and time will be posted after Tuesday. Please check back. 

OPEN GYM / SHOOTING WORKOUT AT SMS - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2022

 For anyone interested, I will be holding a Shooting Workout at the SMS Gym on Wednesday, August 17th, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Those interested, bring a water bottle, clean, indoor basketball shoes, and your Synergy Binder + a pencil. We will record our attempts and makes. We will do a 45 minute, intense shooting workout, and then play 1on1, 3on3, and possibly 5on5 if we have enough players. This opportunity is for any girls or boys in Synergy, who are in grades 7 - 12. 

Please keep checking back to see other open gym opportunities. I will be unavailable to open the gym from August 18 to August 21; however, I will be opening the gym a few times during the week of August 22nd to August 26th. 

AUGUST OPEN GYM TIMES AND BASKETBALL WORKOUTS STARTING THE WEEK OF AUGUST 15 TO 19

 Please check back. I will be posting Open Gym Opportunities for next week in the next several days. My plan is to open the gym at SMS on Wednesday for sure - time TBA, and if I am not going away for a few days, I may open the gym on Monday as well. Again, please check back. 

Hoops Are Hot in the Shuswap looks great in terms of the turnout. I hope everyone is having a great time. Cheers. 

NO OPEN GYM OPPORTUNITIES AT SMS THIS WEEK! SORRY…

 Sorry … I jumped the gun… NO OPEN GYM this coming week … SMS is still being cleaned and will not be available until the week of Aug 8th… Sorry!

SYNERGY SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES - Updated Monday, July 11, 2022

Manu Watsa is the CEO of Point Guard College - the best basketball Training Program in the World - and every Monday Coach Watsa starts the week with his Monday Mindset. I have subscribed to PGC for years and have been following Coach Watsa’s Monday Mindsets ever since he began. Here are two videos from PGC that I hope make you think and provide some motivation to begin your week:

Please Click on the 2 Links:

https://youtu.be/J2mW-_1sXfU - This first video “Fight for Your Time” is imperative for so many. Reminder… the “Off-Season” is not a time to “take time off”… instead, the Off Season is a time to work on one’s individual craft, develop skill, work on your weaknesses, get more fit, become stronger, try new activities, Get Out and Do Things. Please, don’t fall in the trap of doing the “same old thing” or get caught on your devices doing nothing. 

https://youtu.be/LS6jSZqCiQw - This second video “Get Out” provides a reminder that there are so many activities that one can be doing in the Off-Season that provide so many benefits to an individuals overall growth and development, and more importantly … are so much fun! I drove by the courts at SMS last night at 8:30 PM and they were packed! I love seeing the courts being used. That’s what they are there for. As a QB in high school and university, my Off-Season Training involved tennis, volleyball, basketball, bike riding (for time and distance), etc.; as well as, all my throwing the football (300 passes per day), footwork, strength and agility training, etc. If you want to get better you need to “Fight for Your Time” and “Get Out”. 

By-the-way… Are you getting out and working on your Better Basketball Shooting Program - at least 3x to 4x per week? Reminder, if you want to get better, you need to put time in.

Please check the summer opportunities below. I am “getting out” for three days this week and going on a fishing trip; so, I won’t be back until Wednesday night. I will post again on Thursday. Enjoy your summer!

Sorry Everyone… I am managing our Shuswap Middle School Blog and the Synergy Blog … trying to do a better job at both… anyway, I accidentally deleted my last Post for Synergy. 

Again, thanks to all the athletes and coaches for their participation and efforts this past spring and early summer. Congratulations to our four U13 girls who made the Okanagan Regional 3on3 Team and the three U14 boys who made our Okanagan Regional Team - all will be representing our region in the upcoming BC Summer Games at the end of July. Good luck and we are very proud of you. We also want to recognize Moriah Jansen, who made our BC Provincial U15 Team that will be competing in the Canadian Championships this summer. It also needs to be noted that Moriah, who continues to work hard on her game, has been identified by Basketball Canada as a prospect for our National Program. We want to wish Moriah all the best this summer and we are so excited to follow her journey as she chases her dreams moving forward. Congrats to all of our athletes who have challenged themselves and taken risks to put themselves out there by trying out for Regional and BC Teams. Synergy promotes all activities and opportunities that Basketball BC offers. Basketball BC is our National Program’s provincial representation; so, we encourage all of our athletes to go to BBC Camps, try-out for teams, and get involved in any opportunities that BBC provides. 

As we have explained to our athletes, the off-season is a time to work on one’s craft and get better as an athlete. Developing skills, working on fundamentals, and focusing on individual workouts make a player better and prepares one for the next season. Forty-five (45) to sixty (60) minute workouts are more than long enough, and if one sets a plan/creates a schedule to workout three (3) to four (4) times per week, it could really pay off in one’s overall development as a player. We also encourage our athletes to stay active and play as many sports as they can manage. One does not have to belong to a club/organization/team to gain the advantages from playing other sports. Sports like tennis, grass/beach volleyball, pick-up soccer,  touch football, baseball/softball, running in the woods, throwing “things”, jumping and climbing “things”, running, diving, rolling, etc… all good activities that one can do on their own or with friends, and all are good activities that help to improve one’s overall physical literacy. Have a great, active summer!

Summer Basketball Opportunities:

#1 - TRU Basketball Camp on June 27, 2022, to June 30, 2022. New Registrations accepted at the door. Gr. 5 - 7 from 9 AM to Noon each day and Gr. 8 - 10 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM each day. Cost $150 - Fundraiser for SMS Basketball Program.

#2 - Shooting Workout/Training Session #1 (Better Basketball Shooting Workout): 20 Participants - July 5, 2022, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Must sign-up by emailing Mr. Smith at                                       synergy basketball2014@gmail.com… first come, first serve. This shooting camp will be run by Evan Smith - 4th year Business student and member of the TRU Men’s Basketball Team; Alton Neid - 4th year Engineering student and member of the Laval Men’s Basketball Team; Moriah Jansen - Gr. 10 student at Kings Christian School and member of our BC Provincial U15 Team; and Jaden Brennan - Gr. 12 student at SAS and member of our Sr. Golds Team. All four athletes have used the Better Basketball Shooting Program to develop and improve their shot over the years. Participants will be required to follow the program over the course of the summer and fall, and record all workouts completed throughout that time. If athletes follow the program, they will shoot 200 shots per workout. The BBSP is the best shooting program I have seen over my 38 years of coaching basketball. It is the best program that helps basketball players to not only develop good technique and fundamentals, it also helps players to understand why the techniques are used and how other ways of shooting can impede one’s shot efficiency. 

#3 - Shooting Workout/Training Session #2 (Basketball BC 500 Shot Shooting Program) - Another shooting program that Evan Smith, Alton Neid, and Moriah Jansen have used extensively over the years to help improve their shooting, efficiency, footwork, and abilities. Again, our Mentors will guide our Synergy Athletes through the shooting program. July 26, 2022, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Email Coach Smith… 12 Max participants … If more are wanting to take advantage of this opportunity, another session may be offered. 

#4 - Open Gym Times throughout the summer… Please check this Blog on a regular basis and click the Tab above “Open Gym Opportunities - Summer 2022” … I am looking at opening the gym at SMS in July  during the week of July 11th to 15th… Please check the “Open Gym” tab

SYNERGY SPRING 2022 - APRIL 18 to APRIL 22

 This Friday, April 22, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the SMS Gym will be open to our Boys in the Grade 7-8-9 Spring Synergy Program, and to those Gr. 10 and 11 players who have been attending our Early Morning AM Sessions. The Focus at Friday Sessions will be on games/competing. To meet Synergy’s Off-Season Guidelines for Open Gym Sessions, we will begin with 1on1, 3on3, and 5on5 half-court play… after our warm-up. After our mini games, we will gravitate towards full court 4on4 and 5on5 games. Fridays are optional and for those players who want to and are able to get in the gym and take advantage of this great opportunity. Players… please bring a reversible jersey, if you have one. Our uniforms and swag should all be in shortly. Please check this Blog on a regular, weekly basis. 

EASTER WEEKEND…

 Happy Easter Everyone… I hope all had a good few days off and enjoyed the weekend. We will not be holding Training Sessions tonight. With no custodians in the building, we will take the night off. I will be holding our usual Training Session tomorrow morning at SMS from 7AM to 8:10AM, and we will be having our usual evening sessions tomorrow as well. 

This coming Friday, April 22, 2022, I will be running an additional Games/Competition Session for boys in grades 7 - 9, and some girls will be invited as well. More details will be explained to our athletes tomorrow. 

Enjoy today and we will see you on the court this week!