By: Shane Laflin

We spent a wonderful week in Hamilton, Ohio during our inaugural nationwide Project & PERFECT Camp. We hosted four sessions of camp, one for each of the classes of 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029. What resulted was learning and improvement, camaraderie, and ultimately a celebration of the game of basketball. Upon registration last count, we had players from 39 states and over 100 clubs represented.

 

We organized things a little differently than your typical basketball camp. The players were placed on teams prior to camp (thanks to the knowledge and research of our staff) – 5on5 and 3X3. They were assigned to a 5on5 coach and the court coaches were given a list of objectives to accomplish – layering drills and simple systems so they could maximize their time (it was about an hour and 25 minutes of time spent in that reagard). The objectives were:

Energy/Connectivity Drill (break the ice and get them communicating with enthusiasm)

Shooting Drill (emphasis on incorporating passing and consistent footwork)

Defensive Foundation Drill (emphasis on positioning and help/rotation concepts + on ball efforts)

Secondary Offense / ½ Court Offense (emphasis on spacing, ball movement, and positionless concepts)

Transition Defense/Offense  (paired with another team advantage/disadvantage drills to teach both defense and offensive concepts | Defensive emphasis on slowing the ball early and loading help to the ball in transition | Offensive emphasis on reading the balance of the floor, get an advantage sprinting out on the wings to the corners, advancing the ball with the pass)

Simple BOB’s and SLOB’s (to utilize in 5on5 play)

As we gathered together before breaking off in teams (players were given floor access at least 30 minutes prior to encourage proper warm up and any routines they partake in prior to a practice, etc), we asked them to be open to teaching and learning and doing so in a competitive manner. A few bullet points from that quick meeting:

Own Your Own Player Development – It is important in today’s climate of social media and comparison and unsolicited opinions from people of varying qualifications (or lack thereof) that these players take the majority stake in their own development – they have to be intentional about getting better incrementally and understand each is on their own unique path. Owning their development brings a patient and mature approach to the challenging path ahead – one that will vary from player to player. They can take the challenges, they can adjust to losses and failure, they can be methodical in their approach – once they truly own their own development. It simplifies things – they decide what matters to them; and that how and why will help guide them. I very much reminded them that even though they place our ESPN team on a bit of a pedestal, that is not our why and it is not why we were there. It is a responsibility we take very seriously, but we were there because we hold this game in high regard and wanted to share that with those in the gym.

Learn from Failing and Take Correction and Apply – we were going to move fast in a training camp style; pay attention and ask questions when needed. These things all lead to learning and development – do not shy away from them, rather seek them out.

Play at Pace – meaning multiple efforts and aggressive, confident play on both ends of the floor; create shots early and transition out quickly

Create Shots for Others – easiest way to find cohesiveness and to get good shots in a camp setting

Find Your Best Within Your Unit (the team you were assigned to) – Where are your strengths? Where are the strengths of your teammates? These elements should dictate how you play here.

 

We wanted them to know what it would be like if they were in the gym with us every day. I told them I wanted to know that they loved the game – and the easiest way to get on the same page was to play hard and communicate (don’t let a good thing go unnoticed and have an intentional effort to connect with others).

Lastly, we told them we would choose a TEAM of 12 from the pool of players that we felt would best represent a competitive team – styles and strengths not predetermined, but decided upon by watching them in this setting.

 

STAFF

Our staff was remarkable on paper before we even started the camp, and then in true Project and PERFECT fashion, completely over-delivered on the floor as any great teammate does. Much like we challenged the players, this group (some of whom had never met each other) became a unit greater than the sum of its parts.

On Court Coaches:

Mike Aduddell – skills coach in Austin, TX. Mike was on staff with the Chinese National Team as they made their recent run in the World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. He owns Theory Player Development

Derek Griffin – Director of Hardwood Elite 3SSB (2023 3SSB National Champions); he is the former director of youth development for the Denver Nuggets as well as a 2-time 3X3 USAB National Champion

Katie Hensle – 20 years experience as a coach; She has won at a high level on the EYBL and 3SSB as well as has 300+ wins as a high school coach; she is on the McDAAG Committee and the Naismith Player of the Year committee; Co-Director of Southwest Select 3SSB

Natalie Morse – Current IGB UA program director who spent time at the D1 level as an assistant coach; she played professionally in England while getting her Master’s Degree in Neuroscience

James Parker – Current coach at Mater Dei High School (CA) and on the Cal Stars EYBL staff; long time skills coach in the Southwest; part of the Elite is Earned team which specializes in camps, player mentorship, and recruiting services

Kianna Ray – played at TCU leading them to the NCAA Tournament during her senior season; spent time on multiple D1 staffs in any and all roles and serves the game in multiple capacities

Angela Santa Fe – Director: East Coast Select Events Basketball; Head Coach of Regis College 2013-2021 where she won 4 Conference Championships, made 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, and was named Coach of the Year 4 times

Grant Stone – played at Chadron State; Skills Coach and Mentor in the Phoenix, AZ area and a founding member of the Omniverse Group

Court Managers:

Jeremy Clark – Co-Director of Southwest Select 3SSB; Skills coach and mentor in Austin, TX

Afiba Fairnot – Director of Basketball at the St. James in the DMV area; he is the chief operator of the SHE GOT GAME events (premier High School events in the country)

Wolf Hutchinson – Coaches at Harvest Prep in Columbus, OH; he is a long time basketball coach and mentor in his area, trusted by many to bring knowledge and positivity to the floor .. currently coaches with the Ohio United 3SSB program as well

Jason Mutterer – current principal at Mansfield Summit HS (TX); long time Head Boys Coach at Summit as well; won 4 consecutive State Championships at the highest classification (5A at the time) at Mansfield High School as the Varsity Assistant of the Girls Basketball Program. Recently went viral across America for writing a personalized letter to each of Summit’s 443 graduating Seniors. You can see the NBC’s Today Show feature HERE.

Administration:

Bob Corwin – longtime staple of media in WBB; Bob has been around this game for over 40 years .. he set the stage and continues to set the tone for thorough reporting and evaluation in the sport; he has been responsible for numerous HS All-American publications and has written for several different platforms – currently of which is HoopsReview

Jason Key – ESPNW Top 100 Team, McDAAG Committee; Premier Basketball Report; Basketball Hall of Fame Wootten Award Committee; he is a lifelong supporter and grower of this game and continues to mentor in the space daily

Kenneth Pannell – ESPNW Top 100 Team, McDAAG Committee, Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors, Select Winter Series grassroots initiative, NBA Court of Leaders consultant, Basketball Hall of Fame Wootten Award Committee; KP has influence all over this game – specializing in grassroots identification and evaluation and relationship building

Shane Laflin – Director of Recruiting Analysis for ESPNW, McDAAG Committee, Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors, Premier Basketball Report, Basketball Hall of Fame Wootten Award Committee; former D1 coach and consultant across several avenues in the game of basketball

Andre and Andrew White – Content and Social Media Directors for Project & PERFECT; they are influential content creators in the New England area and now across the country as @TwinViZuals

Terri Lynn Wootten – Project & PERFECT Camp Registration Administrator; McDAAG Committee and Chairman of Nomination Committee; Director of Wootten Basketball Camps

Here is a sample of some coaching points we discussed at some point or another during the camp when we brought the sessions of players together:

Transition Defense – sprinting back and identifying defensive position, personnel, stoppage of the ball, protection of the paint, etc

Recognizing transition offense advantages – reading the balance of the floor and advancing the ball accordingly; sprinting lanes to fill corners; reading numbers advantages

Stance in off ball defensive positioning – maintaining the discipline to stay in a reactive stance and in relation to ball and man + action communication and defensive execution

Rebound in space – spacing = players must pursue rebounds outside of their area more often; multiple effort plays

Do not pass up open threes – the game is spacing now! If a good three is created and you are a capable shooter, let it fly!!

Active Listeners – body language and verbal and non-verbal cues to coaching and teammate communication – acknowledgements and echoing habits

Be a good receiver (non-verbal) – hands shown as a target, eye contact for placement of ball, etc

Handedness – many of these players are very one hand dominant and it is obvious .. this is something to be expanded offensively and exploited defensively

Timing of Screens – better to be late than early .. actually using and reading screens both on and off ball

Rotation + Scramble (multiple efforts) – spacing means more players in a variety of actions, sometimes the main thing is to keep the ball in front which means a scramble of rotation and multiple efforts

White Board ATO Execution – understanding terms and taking the visual instruction from timeouts and off of the white board from coaches

Play off 2 Feet – playing under the rim (vs above the rim) means making decisions in the paint and more players must play off 2 feet for more options

Gamesmanship vs “Skill Acquisition” – understanding the difference between savviness in how the game is played as a whole vs individual skill acquisition

Exit Cuts – It’s one thing to make good cuts to the rim, but also the intentionality of the timing and integrity of the cuts back out the perimeter

Value getting to spots by cutting (vs dribble) – most young players think they have to get places off the dribble, but once they think of things without the ball in their hands and how to play out of actions, a whole new window opens up for them and it helps them read the floor

 

Closing Remarks at Camp (We left the players with some final thoughts):

Win the Game in Front of You – they will face challenges in their personal development or their teams as well as their academic and life path .. understanding those challenges and accepting them with maturity, humility, and strength are real separators – some games you are the scorer and some games you are the facilitator!! Some days you do the dirty work, and some days you are the star … win the challenge presented to you – compete!!

Be a Connector – good players have a responsibility to uplift others .. on the court, in the classroom, and in the community; be that glue that brings people together and sees others and make them feel valuable as well .. it is our responsibility

Success is Non-Linear – we can plan things out and control every controllable, but there are always roadblocks and as players and people elevate into new challenges, there are ups and downs that we all need to know is completely normal – we gotta learn to hit a curveball!!

Study the Game as a Whole – we do a lot of singular game practice and training, but that must be paired with studying the game as a whole – study the game in 5’s (and even 10’s when you get good) .. small sided games and situational study (FILM) are HUGE

The Best Players Make Others Better – this is something that is just a fact. The best players elevate the games, the spirits, and the performances of others. It’s that simple – it is a responsibility. THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS – do your job.

 

Thank You: Gifts, Speakers, and Hospitality

 We were most fortunate to have had some special gifts afforded to us for our camp this year. We are very grateful to the following for sharing with us in some capacity:

 Devin Booker – gave us shoes for the 5on5 winners and was very supportive of this concept

Breanna Stewart – gave us shoes for 3X3 winners and always is supportive of our efforts

Coco 5 – gave us more natural hydration drinks than we could handle!!

Pretzelized – gave us boxes and boxes of snacks for the campers to enjoy

Emily Jo Roberts – brought years of experience to us and spent invaluable time with the players and families helping them understand the new age of NIL, Revenue Share, and Agents/Marketing

Deuce Brand – gave us enough socks for everyone to go home with a pair

WNBA – gave us shirts to distribute to the participants and showed interest and support for our efforts

Elite is Earned – provided Jordan Brand jerseys and overall support for our efforts to grow this game in a multitude of ways beyond the camp with guidance and friendship consistently over the years from a REAL ONE – Chris Hansen!! I highly recommend his camp series.

Warehouse at Champion Mill – Staff and Hospitality from the facility and hotel

Conclusion and Thoughts

 So what made this camp so special?

The staff – end of story. We had 18 people who could have led this camp from the top come together to become a whole team that created an amazing environment.

The PLAYERS really delivered. They accepted the challenge of a different kind of structure than they may have expected. They competed and did so in a fashion that honored the values of TEAM and connectivity. They brought joy to the gym – and checked any personal egos or agendas at the door. They bought into their coaches and they took correction and applied it immediately. They gave back to the staff as the staff poured into them – a beautiful thing!!

So, imagine a gym with …

The connectivity of Love Lei Best .. the joy and smile of Amillia Prochnow .. the intensity and activity of Jada Jackson … the voice of Avery Bollin … the emerging excellence of Morgan Stewart … the glue of Atlee Vanesko … the physicality of JaNyia Cunningham … the blue collar approach of Nyla Lyons … the eagerness of Sophia Louis-Pierre, Peyton Hensle, and Zoey Buckner Franklin … the shooting of Londyn Hollins, Kennedy Clark, and Riley Canaan … the flair and creativity of Morghan Reckley … the unreal potential of Sutton Villa … the light and talent of Kristen Winston … the heart of Sloan King … the attention to detail of Melina Snoozy … the hooper stature of Harper Winter … the gritty competitiveness of Beckett Greenway …

Yea, imagine that. Better yet – come be a part of it with us next year. Players and those interested in being a part of the game in this capacity – come spend time with us. We are very welcoming.

Yes, it was that much fun. What a reward to have been a part of it. This is my overwhelming THANK YOU to everyone who was a part of it. We are already back to work to make improvements and adjustments for next year!!

Just as I said to our participants: We’ve been good, but can we be better? I overwhelmingly believe that answer is YES.

Until next time –

SL