News from Reebok

BASKETBALL

Create-N-Finish Update

In This Issue

Where 2 B Seen in April

Shooting Touch Tip

Headliner Try Out Camp Registration Open

Team Feature - 6 Signs

Reebok 101

Coaches Corner - Legendary Bob Hurley

Excellence Corner

April Birthdays
Trevan Abraham Olu Ashaolu Justin Brownlee Darryl Bryant Demondre Chapman Eric Frederick Matt Gibson Masceo Harmon Shaquille Johnson Thomas Knight John Moran Matthew Staff Tyshawn Taylor Brian Walsh Travon Woodall Tony Wroten Trey Zeigler If your birthday is next month, send us an email and let us know.

NBA Playoffs Are Here

Look out for these Reebok athletes in this year's NBA playoffs

Boston Celtics - Eddie House, Gabe Pruitt and Rajon Rondo

Philadelphia 76ers - Willie Green and Jason Smith

Atlanta Hawks - Marvin Williams

New Orleans Hornets - Rasual Butler, Mike James and Moe Peterson

San Antonio Spurs - Brent Barry

Houston Rockets - Yao Ming

Dallas Mavericks - Malik Allen and Jason Terry

Denver Nuggets - Allen Iverson

Where 2 B Seen
April Spring Events For You To Showcase Your Talent Pitt Jam Fest - Pittsburgh, PA, April 18-20 Real Deal on the Hill - Fayetteville, AR, April 18-20 Providence Jam Fest - Providence, RI, April 25-27 Pearland Texas Classic - Houston, TX, April 25-27 Sanford Sports Spring Jam - Sioux Falls, SD, April 26-27 For additional information, please send us an email.

Shooting Touch Tip

"If you are bored with life, if you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals." -- Lou Holtz

Let's guess at this point that everyone did not win their State Championship. If you did, then congratulations. If you didn't, that should give you enough motivation to work harder then you ever have. However, taking a small break from this game also can be a good idea. This is the greatest game in the world and if you don't have the passion to go out and work at 110% then take some time off. You'll only be doing an injustice to yourself and more importantly, the game. Whether you are a player or a coach, you have a responsibility to have a certain level of passion when you step onto a court to play or teach. This is the exact time of year when it is easiest to go into a cruise control type of routine. Remember, its not a bad thing if you need to take some time off. Most times people come back with a stronger demand to work harder and longer because they missed the game so much. (By the way, if you still have the passion for this game and haven't lost the love, then go do what you do!)

For more information, visit Shooting Touch

Reebok Congratulates the High School National Champion!
Congratulations to St. Anthony High School for winning the 2007-2008 National Championship Madut Bol Jon Bradley Dominic Cheeks Travis Conyers Alberto Eastwick Jio Fontan Glen Gaines Jamee Jackson Noah McCoy Devone McLeod Tshyrad Oates AJ Rogers Mike Rosario Tyshawn Taylor Willie Vaughn Travon Woodall

Reebok Coaches Tune-Up in San Antonio

Reebok and PrepChamps hosted the 3rd coaches clinic at the Final Four in San Antonio. This consisted of 50 key high school coaches, VIP partners and legendary coach, Bob Hurley of St. Anthony H.S. and Jason Fawcett with Clutch Players.

The Coaches Tune-Up was held at the Palm and allowed coaches, athletic directors, sporting company presidents to meet and network.

Reebok and YMCA

Reebok also hosted a basketball clinic for 75 kids ages 8-15 at the Davis-Scott YMCA in San Antonio.

Issue: 6

April/2008

Dear Basketball Standout,

The travel basketball season has finally started and now you get to pick your team, your coach, and hopefully have some input to how your talents are being utilized.

For many of you reading this, your success on the court significantly increases your chance of attending college by earning a scholarship. Some of you may already have college scholarship offers and are playing for additional exposure with hopes of moving up the rankings and wearing Custom Reebok Kicks in next year's McDonald's game in Miami, Florida (I can see Kenny Boynton's dad in the stands representing already).

Well regardless of why you are playing this spring and summer you won't completely maximize your potential without a plan. We discussed back in November the importance of establishing clear month by month goals. For example, April should be heavily focused on attempting to play in front of college coaches, which can only take place during the weekends of April 19-20 and April 26-27.

With only four days for coaches to evaluate the "New and Improved You" it is imperative that you play on a team that is going to high level events such as the Real Deal on the Hill in Arkansas, Pearland Classic in Houston, Pitt Jam Fest in Pittsburgh and Providence Jam Fest in Rhode Island.

Each of these Reebok sponsored events will be loaded with powerhouse travel teams, college coaches and scouting services. Never has your team's performance in pool play been more critical. You need to do everything you can to advance your team into Saturday night's championship brackets to ensure that there are college coaches in the stands and increase your stock.

This month's challenge is simple. I want to hear from players across the country that were local legends before this evaluation period but had breakout tournament performances and your mailbox is now full everyday of recruiting letters. Let us know how it feels to get the attention you had always worked so hard to achieve. We will feature some of these players in our June edition.

Until next month, be safe; stay in the lab and always,

Create-N-Finish,

Christopher Rivers

Headliner Try Out Camp - Players That Proved in 2007

Spots filling up quickly!

Registration is now open for the Reebok Headliner Try Out Camp, do not let this opportunity pass you by. Spots are filling up, so be sure to register soon to secure your spot. Reebok Headliner Try Out Camp is the only camp in the country that allows you to earn an invitation to an exclusive, All-American exposure camp. Last year over 50% of the total Reebok All-American Camp participants were chosen from the Headliner Try Out Camp system. Many of these players not only saw their national rankings jump several spots, but their college recruiting increased many fold and many got recruited at a much higher level. We also recently added a Headliner in Jacksonville, FL May 31-June 1 and registration will be open soon.

The Reebok Headliner Try Out Camp is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, but don't take our word for it, listen to those that came last year:

Ari Stewart - Atlanta Headliner - 2009 Wheeler High Marietta, GA

"Going into the summer I had a huge motivation to come out on top and make a name for myself. The journey to my success began at the Reebok Headliner Camp held in Atlanta. I was rated the #1 player and earned a bid to participate at the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia. At the Reebok All-American Camp I made the All-Star team which meant I was included among the nation's best players. Then at the end of the summer I was the 15th best player according to Rivals.com and the 20th best player according to Scout.com. I only plan on getting better."

Erick Green - Washington DC Headliner - 2009 Millbrook High School Winchester VA Committed to Virginia Tech

"Wow, I think it (Headliner Try Out Camp) had a major impact, my launching pad; it gave me an opportunity to show what I can do. It was a great event and impacted my recruitment in a major way. It did a lot for my confidence, I always believed I could compete with anyone, I just needed an opportunity and the Headliner Camp did that. Headliner that's where I made my name."

Pe'Shon Howard - Pittsburg Headliner - 2010 Oak Hill Academy, Cleveland OH

"I think Headliner is a great thing for players who are under the radar....it gives guys a chance to put themselves on the map without relying on someone else doing it for them...It helped me get to the level that I'm now at.....starting at Oak Hill Academy."

Team Feature - 6 Signs Your Travel Team May Be Suspect

1. If your jersey's have tape on the back as a substitute for printed numbers "Your team is suspect".

2. If your coach talks on his blue tooth ear piece during games "Your team is suspect".

3. If you lose your pool play games by an average of 30 ppg "Your team is suspect".

4. If you have 9 players or less and your out of shape coach trys to scrimmage during practice "Your team is suspect".

5. If your season tournament schedule has more TBA's on it than actual dates or locations "Your team is suspect".

6. If there is a new player on your squad at every tournament "Your team is suspect".

Reebok 101 - Iverson's Comeback:

No tears, but just barely

- Chris Sheridan, ESPN.com

Allen Iverson reacts to the standing ovation he received upon reintroduction to Philly.

Allen Iverson did not cry as the crowd inside his old stomping grounds showered him with 35 seconds of unadulterated love during pregame introductions. He blew kisses to the crowd, he pounded his chest, and when the applause and the screaming would not cease, he cupped his hand behind his ear and made the noise level rise by another dozen decibels.

"I didn't actually have tears in my eyes, but they were burning," Iverson said. "At one point I had to hold my head up so they wouldn't fall. But when I'm back at my hotel all by myself later tonight, they'll come out."

In an incredibly emotional comeback to the city where he spent one of the most eventful decades any NBA player has ever experienced, Iverson was given the warmest of receptions by the same fans he tantalized and frustrated for so many years.

He had a chance to be the hero of the game, too, but his jumper from the corner with four seconds left was off-target, and Iverson's old team, the Philadelphia 76ers, celebrated as though they had won a championship as the final buzzer sounded on a 115-113 victory Wednesday night over the Denver Nuggets.

"I'm not saying I'm cool with losing, cuz I'm not," Iverson said, "but I can't take away from what these people gave me tonight."

It was a night when Iverson played for the present but opened up about the past, expressing his regret and embarrassment over some of the episodes that discolored his 10-plus years in Philadelphia. And the night included a little extracurricular Iverson-related excitement, too, as a scuffle broke out involving Iverson's friends who were sitting along the second row of the baseline seats near the Denver bench.

The altercation appeared to begin when someone pushed or jostled Iverson's mother as the game was in its final minute and the entire sellout crowd was on its feet. Iverson's friends refused security guards' orders to leave the arena after the fight, which resulted in one very large, very angry man being escorted away with a very large tear in his shirt. But it was all over in time for Iverson's friends to see him get a chance to tie the game or win it.

Nuggets guard Allen Iverson wears shoes that read 'THXPHILA' during the game against the 76ers. Iverson received the ball on the final play a couple of feet closer to the basket than he would have liked, saying he wanted to end things with a 3-pointer from the corner rather than the 19-footer he attempted instead. The shot felt bad the moment it left his hand, and the miss helped the 76ers reach .500 with their eighth victory in nine games this month. For the Nuggets, it was their fourth loss in seven games and further harmed their chances of climbing into eighth place in the West and making a trip to the postseason.

"They were the better team than us tonight," Iverson said. "It almost ended perfect. I almost had the perfect trip back to my home away from home."

Still, the adulation Iverson received blunted the pain from the loss. He sounded like a happy man afterward, a proud and more mature man, and he exited the building undoubtedly feeling better about his time in Philadelphia than he did when he was walked off the visitors bus some four hours earlier, his re-entry chronicled by some 50 cameramen and reporters.

"That chapter is over, but it doesn't mean the book has to have a sad ending," Iverson said.

It wasn't sad. Quite the contrary, it was a class act all around -- from Iverson himself, and from the Philly fans.

"It was emotional, and it made me feel like the time I spent here was worth it," Iverson said.

Coaches Corner - Bob Hurley