Spokane Stars Basketball

Archive for March, 2009

Nehal Kazim asked:




Basketball training isn’t much different from other forms of sports training except some tweaks here and there. But, before jumping into high octane basketball training, you must understand the benefits of basketball training.

There are many benefits of basketball training but the two that stand out are athletic performance and injury prevention.

Strengthening your core, quads, calves, biceps, back and chest allow you to jump higher, take it to the hole stronger and provides more stability when taking more contact. Vince Carter is a great example in this situation. Imagine if Carter didn’t workout in any way shape or form. You have to realize that guys his size would be eating him up like sweet potato pie. But, with the extensive training that NBA professionals do allows him to jump and stay in the air for longer than his opponents and still manage to dunk OVER them; Sorry Alonzo Mourning. As a person who resides in Toronto, Ontario, home of the Raptors and as much as I hate Carter (as a player), that kind of performance is jaw dropping.

As you can see basketball training can add to your game instantly and as you progress in the training by lifting more, the benefits of basketball training will become more apparent.

Something that many basketball players don’t care is the importance of injury prevention. As a player, it is critical to realize that if your hand is broken, you cannot play basketball! It sounds stupid that way but if you’re training long and hard for something, you should do everything in your power to prevent that effort going to waste.

Basketball is a contact sport and it gets under the boards for a rebound, setting picks and screens and sometimes, the game just gets physical in the heat of moment. Basketball training allows you to take some of the damage due to the new muscle on your body. It is a good practice to stretch for 5 minutes before and after your workouts and especially if you’re playing ball.

PS: Strength Training does wonders for your game. What was something you experienced when you started training for basketball?

Cindy Ferguson asked:




As some many women basketball players like Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson and Cynthia Cooper became the best players for years; Candace Parker is the light in this generation. Her skills and amazing heart for the game is projected in the court. She just loves the game and enjoys every minute of it.

The new face of basketball has the potential to be Miller, Leslie and Cooper in one; she just has the skills to shoot, post and dunk the ball, whenever she wants. With only 22 years of age, this super woman has pulled off so many accomplishments as few have done. During this year she has achieved the NCAA title, being the No.1 draft in the WNBA, graduating with a degree in sports management; and just now, playing with the USA Team in the Olympics.

Looks like during her basketball career, Candace Parker, has done it almost all. When she was only 17 years old, Parker won the Slam Dunk contest of the McDonald’s High School All-American Game, by beating five male participants in the contest; event that turned her into the first woman to do so. During her college career, Parker led the Tennessee Lady Val’s to two NCAA titles. She was also named twice Most Outstanding Player of the Year, accomplishment only done by Miller, Holdsclaw and Taurasi. Moreover, Parker is also known as the first female to dunk in a NCAA tournament game and the second female after Lisa Leslie to dunk in a WNBA game.

According to some details given by someone close to Candace, she’s getting a huge income through advertising, even bigger than most of the NBA players; and no wonder why, if she already has contracts with Adidas and Gatorade. Currently, Candace plays for the Sparks and if she decides to play overseas in the offseason, she may gain more money than any woman basketball player ever.

In the Olympics, Parker has done pretty amazing things helping the team reach their third win, and a 28-0 record internationally (since 1992). The team expects to win the next game and keep their record as further as they can, to eventually obtain the gold medal. Obviously, Parker hopes for her the triumph and the first Olympic gold medal in her career.

Parker said that being in the Olympics is something she always looked forward to do, and talked about how pleased and proud she feels being there representing the USA. “This is my first Olympics and I hope to come back numerous times” affirmed the American.

The WNBA and USA National Team former player, Dawn Staley, expressed herself about Parker and this is part of what she said “She has converted her game into something special. To see Candace grow and to see Candace do what she does is an incredible thing around the world. But things are better and out future incredible when you have someone like Candace who does what she does with her still needing to grow.”

For sure Candace Parker will show us a lot of her potential in years to come, but she still has a long way to go, with a lot to learn and experience to gain.

Sam Noffs asked:




Alonzo Mourning was born on February 8, 1970 to a father who shares his first, middle, and last name. The future NBA superstar with the popular nickname Zo actually has the given name of Alonzo Harding Mourning, Junior. Before going onto NBA and collegiate fame at Georgetown University he grew up as a youngster around Chesapeake, Virginia.

As a standout center on his Indiana River High School basketball team in Chesapeake, Virginia Alonzo was a star player that attracted national attention from college scouts looking to recruit his talents. His success as a high school prep star was demonstrated in the outstanding record that his team produced while he was in uniform there. At one point during his high school basketball career the team Alonzo Mourning played for went on a 51 game winning streak as part of a state championship title run that the team made during his junior year.

As a senior in high school Mourning continued to flourish. At any level of basketball whether it is high school, college, or the NBA the feat of accomplishing a triple-double in a single game is a tremendous accomplishment as it represents a significant impact on the game in a well-rounded manner. A triple-double is defined as statistically reaching double digits in three different positive statistical categories. The most common triple-double involves scoring at least ten points in a game while also grabbing at least ten rebounds and dishing out a minimum of ten assists. Over the course of his senior season at Indian River High School, Alonzo Mourning averaged a triple-double. During that season he scoring 25 points a game while snagging 15 rebounds and rejecting 12 shots a game. Those averages of 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 blocks per game are simply staggering numbers for any basketball player to post.

The impressive basketball statistics that Alonzo put up as a senior earned him the honor of being named the male basketball player of the year by the national publication USA Today. In addition to the USA Today award he received similar honors for being the top high school basketball player in the country from Gatorade and USA Today.

When it came to making a decision about which college to play basketball at, Alonzo Mourning ultimately decided to stay close to home by attending Georgetown University. The Washington DC based Georgetown Hoyas are located less than 200 miles from Mourning’s hometown of Chesapeake, Virginia. As a four year starter at Georgetown Alonzo Mourning had numerous accomplishments that included leading the country in blocked shots as a freshmen and eventually being named a first team All-American after his senior season.