Press & News
-
RMG 11u Team Makes Impression on Big Stage
Posted: 12/17/2011
http://ny2lasports.com/article_one.aspx?articleid=773
Several RMG Players named top performers at acclaimed NY2LA Tourney. -
Dartmouth Camp: Maximize Your Talent
Posted: 7/4/2011
Coach Cromier (head coach of Dartmouth) got things going right from the start. His style: Hands On. He took the lead most of camp, demonstrating drills, orchestrating sets, and implementing the "Big Green's" philosophy. His message: Maximize Your Talent, Hard Work is a Skill, and Push Through. Coach ran camp like a college practice and demanded every player play hard. The staff at camp was comprised of primarily young coaches, coach Cromier's sons, a few current players and most noteably UCONN's former point guard Ricky Moore who played an integral role in bringing UCONN its first national title in 1999.
This camp boasted a few players from Harvard's camp as well as new faces from up and down the east coast. There were also 10-12 D2 and D3 coaches. Emory and Boston University were also present. Liam Farley shot the ball well and played agressively. Reid Berman knocked shots down and controlled his team's tempo. Tim Morette ran the court and played tenaciously. Xavi Guitart played positions 1-4 effectively penetrating, passing and finishing from all angles. Stas Banas shot extremely well and finished in transition. Charlie Suse hustled, made some great passes to cutting big men and converted plays in an opportunistic manner. Chaz Stevenson handled the ball from up top on day one and scored from deep and with the "fade away" on day two of camp. The boys really played well and effectively and surely drew the eyes of some coaches.
Read More » -
Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield
The History of the Game
Posted: 6/30/2011
Wow! Springfield Hall of Fame is a site every basketball fan must see. Every noteworthy player, executive, commentator, team, male or female contributer is represented. The boys (pictured) participated in several interactive activities as well as learned about about the game's rich history. Xavi reads from a teleprompter about Kevin Garnett in a mock news cast. Tim measures his wing span. Chaz, Tim, Xavi and Liam freshen up on their bball facts.
After we finished tourning the site, the guys were even allowed to shoot around on this newly renovated regulation court. The court featured the progression of the "hoop" through the years. Beginning with a peach basket phasing to a wooden backboard all the way down to the multiflex break away rim used in most places today.
Read More » -
RMG at Army
Posted: 6/30/2011
On Wednesday the guys spent a great day on the campus at West Point. Prior to starting the day, coaches Nick and Rashid provided door-to-door laundry service for the players while they slept in. Around 1pm, the left NYC for Army.
The campus was pristine and the basketball facilities exceeded everyone's expectations. Before a tour of both the football and basketball locker rooms, coach Nick proceeded to complete the rope climb which no one else was willing to attempt.
After this feat of strength, everyone visited the basketball offices and met the staff. They then visited the campus library, home to many historic exhibits including the first copy machine invented by Thomas Jefferson (RMG not only teaches about basketball, but also about world history).
After lunch, access to the arena was provided where everyone got to enjoy some 4-on-4 games on a college court. The day ended with a great view of the mountains as they moved on to their next destination, dropping coach Nick at the train station on their way.
Check out all the pics from Army by clicking on the picture to the right!
Read More » -
RMG Players tour Columbia
Posted: 6/29/2011
Yesterday the guys got a tour of Columbia's campus, followed by an opportunity to meet with the entire coaching staff there, including head basketball coach Kyle Smith. It was a great experience and a beautiful campus.
Afterwards, the group with Nick and Rashid walked along the Hudson and spent some time taking in the sights. Rashid took a few guys to a movie while Nick took a crew to walk around Central Park in the evening. Then they reconvened for dinner before heading off to see Coach O at West Point. That's how today was spent. More info to follow with Dartmouth's Basketball camp beginning on Thursday. Check out the pics!
Read More » -
RMG players receive high marks at Harvard!
Posted: 6/27/2011
Congratulations to Xavi Guitart, Charlie Suse, Reid Berman and Chaz Stevenson who were selected as 4 of the top 24 players attending Harvard's Basketball Camp on our RMG College Exposure Tour! The camp had 120 participants so this is truly a testament the players and coaches we have at RMG.
Coach Rashid and our high schoolers have moved on from Harvard and are now getting a chance to see the campus at Boston College. Keep checking back here for more info about their experience! And check out our gallery by clicking on the photos to see more pictures of all the players.
Read More » -
RMG College Exposure Tour - Day 1
Harvard Camp
Posted: 6/26/2011
Day 1: Most of us woke up prior to 5am to start our day. Little did the fellas know this would be the easy part. Liam Farley joined us from Florida's renowned IMG Academy to partake in this event-this camp boast a host of more than 35 D1 and D2 coaching staffs, NYU and MIT are two of note. The boys, staff and spectators were welcomed by Brian Defastano's (tourney director/assistant coach) and Tommy Amaker's (head coach and spectator) words of wisdom and viewed highlights IVY league champions Harvard University-the message "please and thank you goes a long way" and "be unselfish" and most importantly "COMPETE."
After the lecture and film, the weary plane riders wore themselves out more with strenuous physical training at Palmer Field House led by the athletic department's strength coaches. After conditioning the boys went through stations led by Harvard's staff, local coaches, current Harvard players and division 2 and 3 coaches. These drills were designed to hone team play: rebounding, passing, and screening.
Once the drill work commenced, the players met their perspective coaches and prepped for game play. Though it is hard to assimilate quickly, learn new teammates and set personal agendas aside, the boys all did a great job of working hard.
-Rashid
Read More » -
RMG Summer Exposure Tour and other summer programs at RMG!
Posted: 5/9/2011
Hi everyone,
As we wind down another fun and exciting spring AAU season we are excited about some new summer programs here at RMG. One we are particularly excited about is the RMG Summer College Exposure Tour in June! This will be a one-of-a-kind opportunity to visit some of the premier educational institutions in the country and leverage the relationships our coaches have with universities and recruiters. It will be the first time we do something like this, but we are thrilled about the chance to take some of our players and help them move forward in basketball, and in life. We will visit Harvard, BC, UConn, Yale, Columbia and West Point, where RMG co-founder Omar "Coach O" Mance is an assistant coach. It should be a terrific experience and we will keep everyone updated on its success.
This summer we will also hold our RMG Summer Advanced Training Camp. This will be a great way for our players to improve their skills, conditioning and overall basketball acumen during the off-season. We encourage people to sign up in small groups, hopefully with teammates from AAU teams or friends from school. Players can register for 6 workouts and begin reserving times today. Let us know if you're interested. Take advantage of this opportunity to get tailored training for our coaches this summer!
In addition, we are really planning to ramp up our RMG Small Ball program starting this summer. We will communicate programs we have available and hope to see a lot of familiar faces and some new ones as well.
Visit this blog to stay up to date on RMG news this summer. Talk to you soon! -
Coach Rashid Appointed Head Varsity Basketball Coach
Posted: 8/25/2010
Hi everyone,
I hope you are either enjoying your last few days of summer or your first few days back in school. RMG is getting ready for a great fall season and looks forward to seeing all of you back in the gym, as well as some new faces!
As another testament to the caliber of coaching offered at RMG, Coach Rashid Smith has recently been appointed the Head Varsity Coach of the boys basketball team at North Shore Country Day. Coach Rashid will be taking over a great program at NSCD with a group of strong players who starred on our RMG Travel teams this past season.
Coach Rashid will still be fully involved with RMG so you will continue to see him a lot this fall and winter. We look forward to great things from NSCD this year and in the future and will keep you posted on the team's progress.
Don't forget to sign up for our RMG Fall Pre-Season Workouts. Sessions will be offered for players in 4th grade through High School and will be a great way to shake out any rust and get ready for the upcoming basketball season!
We'll see you soon. Take care!
-RMG -
Coach "O" to West Point
Posted: 6/14/2010
As many of you may know, Coach "O", Omar Mance, will be joining the coaching staff of the United States Military Academy at West Point next season. Omar will be returning to the college ranks after coaching at the RMG coaches' alma mater, Rice University in Houston, from 2007-2009.
At West Point, Coach "O" will be joining a program where such legends as "Coach K" and Bobby Knight began their careers. It is a terrific opportunity for Omar and his family, and we looking forward to following along as he coaches for and against some of the nation's elite basketball players.
Though he will be moving out East, Coach "O" will still be seen around the gym before and after he leaves. We look forward to hearing about his experiences coaching at the D1 level and seeing him back in the Chicago area from time to time.
Good luck to Omar!
-RMG -
RMG Gun Club Summer 2010
Posted: 6/11/2010
This summer RMG will be offering a program specifically designed to enhance a player's shooting ability and technique. The "Gun Club" (we've chosen that name because it incorporates "The Gun", a tool used to improve your shot through practice and repitition) will be more specialized than our normal individual and small group workouts as it will be all shooting all the time. RMG's coaches participated in a similar program while playing at Rice University in Houston. Some of the more accomplished shooters there were able to make 400+ shots in an hour. We will utilize some of that experience and tailor it to fit our individual players here in an effort to achieve the most improvement possible.
James Clarke has played with RMG since he was in 3rd grade competing on our 4th grade travel AAU team. Next year he will begin his freshman year of high school and has been playing and training intensely in preparation . As one of our most accomplished current players, James has been participating in the Gun Club this summer and recently set a new record with 375 made shots in a one hour session. In other work on The Gun he has made 18 17 foot jump shots in a row, and his overall shooting form and technique has improved tremendously. His work this off season will certainly improve his chances of success as a 9th grader at Loyola University next year.
Gun Club workouts will be an intense but fun way for players to improve this summer. They will get the opportunity to participate in shooting drills that RMG's coaches also experienced while playing division I basketball. We hope to see a lot of you in the "Gun Club" this summer shooting to break the new record set for made shots in an hour!
Take care!
-RMG -
RMG Spring Conclusion and Look Ahead to Summer
RMG 4th Grade Tournament Champs!
Posted: 5/24/2010
This past weekend marked the conclusion of the spring AAU season for several of our travel teams including 4th grade, 7th grade Black, 7th grade Blue, 9th grade Black, and our 7th grade girls team. In the 4th grade "A" division, RMG was able to go undefeated, winning all four games and taking the tournament title. It was a terrific way for 4th Grade to end the season, and a great send off for Harrison West, one of the hardest working and most dedicated players in the program. Harrison was a real joy to coach, and we hope to see him again in the future.
As in years past, we will be offering Competitive Edge Summer School starting in June. Each week will be considered a session and camp will be held Monday through Thursday. A coaches award will be given out to a camper every Thursday, and they will receive a new Wilson Evolution Basketball. Summer School will be a great way to keep your game sharp and ready for the fall season.
This summer, RMG will be offering an increased number of small group training with specific focus on shooting and other skills. Inquire via email if you're interested.
Thanks again to everyone for a great spring season! Enjoy this weather and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Take care!
-RMG -
RMG 7th Grade Black to play King James Tournament
Posted: 4/23/2010
This weekend, our RMG 7th grade black team is headed to Akron, OH to play in the King James Shooting Stars Classic, one of the preeminent basketball tournaments in the country. With over 90 teams from all over the country in the 13u division alone, the competition should be as good as any we've seen in AAU.
The 7th graders have performed well this year, playing with and beating some of the best teams in the state of Illinois. Their performance is all the more impressive being that the squad is comprised entirely of players from Winnetka and Kenilworth.
Robbie Abuls, Ben Connelly, Ryan Haak, Alex Kaplan, Matt Kaskey, Patrick Kelley, Mikey Mangan, Ben Muldoon, Charlie Schoder and coach Omar Mance are hoping to make some waves in Ohio this weekend. Hopefully they can secure a few wins, and then the Bulls can beat the Cavs on Sunday when they return.
We'll update you on their results soon!
Good luck 7th Graders!
-RMG -
Coach Rashid
Posted: 4/22/2010
For those that haven't heard, Coach Rashid Smith suffered a major injury this week in rupturing his patellar tendon on Monday evening. Unfortunately he will be out of the gym for a while after he undergoes surgery some time next week.
A big thanks to Glen Clarke who was present when the injury occurred and has helped immensely with the situation. Let's all hope for a full and rapid recovery for Rashid.
Take care!
-RMG -
RMG AAU Teams Participate in State Qualifier
Posted: 4/20/2010
This past weekend, several of our RMG AAU teams competed in the State Tournament held in Zion, IL. Many of the best teams and players in Illinois came out to participate and our guys got some great experience.
Our RMG 3rd Graders played great. In the first game of the tournament they lost a hard fought affiar to the eventual tournament winner. But they bounced back with two exciting wins, one in an overtime thriller and another in a hard fought game that our guys pulled out in the end with a 10 point victory. With two wins on Saturday, they made it to the second day of the tournament and were one of the last 5 teams standing. Great job to all!
The RMG 4th Graders also played great against some tough competition. Though they were short handed for most of the tournament, they gave the eventual tournament winner and one of the best teams in the state all they could handle in a game on Saturday afternoon. We couldn't have been more proud of the effort.
Our RMG 5th grade Black team played in an extremely tough pool on Saturday going 1-2. Having to overcome some obstacles (like a coach who almost didn't make the opening tip off in their second game) they played hard and displayed great heart.
The RMG 9th Grade Black team also played in the State Tournament in Algonquin. They played great on Saturday winning all their games and going
3-0. They lost a very close game in the single elimination tournament on Sunday.
Overall, it was an exciting weekend. We got to play some of the best teams and players in the state and experience one of the most competitive tournaments around!
Our 7th Grade Black team is attending the King James Tournament (hosted by Lebron) in Akron, OH. Look out for a blog about that soon!
Take care!
-RMG