It's the most wonderful time of the year! Nothing is better than the AAU Summer Session!
Scouts, fans and college coaches pack gyms to catch the next great star. As media and fans we have our viewpoint on the event, but nothing is more authentic and pure than the view of the athlete. It's only right that we hear things from the players themselves and view things through their eyes. Below is the diary entry by Dahmir Bishop at the NBPA Top 100 Camp at the University of Virginia. In the diary, Bishop discusses his journey at the camp. -as told to Christian Mordi @thedribbledrop on Instagram and Twitter
Hey guys,
Hello everyone, my name is Dahmir Bishop. I go to Imhotep Charter. In regards to my skills, I consider myself a combo guard, as I can blend between the point guard and shooting guard spot. We had a great season, as we finished the year 32-2. USA Today had us ranked at #21 overall in the United States. We played a very strong schedule. We beat Roselle Catholic, Roman Catholic, Gil St. Bernards and more.
I play AAU basketball for an Adidas sponsored team named K Low Elite. I think people sleep on the Adidas circuit. There are a lot of very good teams on the circuit and if you look on the rankings some of the best programs and players in America are on the Adidas circuit.
This past weekend I played at the NBPA Top 100 camp at the University of Virginia. My team was very good. My coach was Brandon Paul, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs. I played with Jaden Springer who is in the Under Armour circuit. Jahmius Ramsey was also on my team. He’s a pretty good player on the EYBL Circuit. For me, I was in a really good position. I felt underrated a bit and was flying under the radar some. I knew I had the talent to make some noise though. First couple of games I had nothing to lose. The first game I had 20 in the first half. The first day the best player we saw was Scottie Lewis from Ranney in New Jersey. We were going back and forth a bit. He’s tough.
One thing that stood out to me was the presentations. The one that grabbed me the most was when former NBA player Rodney Rogers shared his story. He discussed how an injury ended his career but he still made a career within basketball after he was done playing.
Day Two was a bit slow for me. I woke up sore from the first day. I was the talk of the camp after day one, as I averaged 25 points per game on the first day. I got everyone’s best defender on day two. I didn’t get any breaks. We played against Donta Scott and P.J. Fuller. They were very consistent. It was fun playing against them.
On the final day, I felt like everyone gave their all. We all knew it was the last day and we had something to prove. We played in the semi-finals of the first game of the playoffs. We didn’t play our best basketball in that game, we just weren’t as fluid as we were the first couple of days. With being said, we did play hard and we gave ourselves a chance to win every time out.
Overall, it was a good experience. I felt like I made my stamp and put my name out there more. Next up for me is the Adidas Uprising Nationals in July. After that, I will continue to hit the gym hard and prepare for my senior year.
Til' next time,
Dahmir