Episode 4I'm staying with Darren for the first semester to help ease my transition over here. It also severely cuts down on the expense of the whole thing too. Darren's training program keeps him on a strict diet all of the time, so to be in peak condition I'll be taking a lot of tips from him. His specialty is obviously strength and conditioning. That’s probably my weak point, and to play against some of the big guys they have here, I'm going to need to add some muscle. As the old saying goes, I've got the heart and hustle, now I need the muscle! The first set of tryouts is later today. I've been told it’s like an elite camp where some of the past, current and future players all train and learn together. I've heard some Hurricanes alumni like John Salmons, James Jones and Rick Barry might be here. A chance to meet some past and present NBA players is very exciting.
Some of the current Hurricanes roster like Shane Larkin, Kenny Kadji and Durand Scott will be here. The Hurricanes are expected to be one of the top teams in the ACC in 2012-13 along with the usual powerhouses Duke and North Carolina. I know I'll have my work cut out in practice with some of these guys.
I've heard some of the guys I'll be trying out against for a walk on spot are Justin Heller from Florida and Steve Sorensen from Texas. They've had some nice YouTube videos up and I'll have to play well to beat them out for a spot at point guard. Shane Larkin has the starting spot sown up and I hope I can hold my own against him when we matchup.
Assistant coach Michael Huger attended Bowling Green years ago, and Darren knows him a little bit. There is quite a bit of a connection with Bowling Green and Irish players, and Head Coach Jim Larranaga coached there for 11 years. I know that’s why I've been given a shot here of making the roster.
Huger introduced me to a few guys like Shane, Julian Gamble and Durand Scott. They were very friendly and said they looked forward to working with me this week. But they wont hold anything back, as this is their preseason.
Dad told me to get on the right side of the seniors early on. If you can get along with the seniors then it will stand you in good stead with the coaching staff. The coaches generally listen to the input from the seniors, and if I could get over with those guys, they might recommend me as a walk-on. So I made sure I talked to Kenny, Julian and Durand as much as possible.
I passed them the rock and defended really well at all times. I always talk when I play, and this time would be no different. I see things happening on the court before they happen, and if I could show that I have this ability, I know I'll get selected as a walk on.
Last edited by
RMJH4 on Tue Apr 14, 2015 8:16 am, edited 1 time in total.