Once your basketball season is over don’t sit down and do nothing. This creates stagnation in your performance and development. If possible, find a team to play with. Playing with a team during the summer months provides great benefits for a player.
Extra game experience
This is an awesome opportunity to gain game experience especially if your playing time is limited during your school’s regular season. This will help you develop decision making skills, improve your weak areas and expand your strengths, if you take advance of the opportunity. As a coach, I would talk to my players about using the opportunity to do something they normally would not do on their school team. Take a new skill back to the team.
Extra conditioning
I learned the hard way in college that you should always be in conditioning mode. It is extremely hard to get in basketball shape after taking an extended break. Use this opportunity to continue running in a familiar way by playing the game you love.
Extra exposure to college coaches
Summer basketball can comprise of development leagues, community center leagues, AAU, MAYB, or my favorite of collegiate exposure tournaments. Or what I call circuit play. (There are actually numerous basketball leagues available for participation.) If you want to play basketball at the collegiate level, you have to play during the summer months at NCAA certified events. The days of just playing at your school is over as far as exposing your talents to a college coach.
Today, basketball is a year round sport. Take advantage of all the opportunities and benefits of playing during the summer.