COLLEGE COACHES ALERT: CLASS OF ‘29 FEBRUARY ELLISON’S MAGICAL RISE!

I have long said when it comes to young players, you never truly know how things will end up in the long run. Many times young players are crowned at a young age and fail to develop due to over confidence and ego. Sometimes a young player lacks confidence and have not there growth spurt and develop late and then go on to become stars. The truth of the matter is we just don’t truly know what a kids future is at an early age. It’s often guessing game. But some kids show promise and that’s because of a little thing called the improvement curve. This is and always will be the measuring stick. Young players cannot run from this fact. These days ‘29 February Ellison, has a improvement curve that is hard to miss!

A year ago February Ellison, was a player who looked the part. She was athletic, quick and strong beyond her years. But her skill level was not up to par. She was a below average shooter at best, an out of control ball handler and at times a bad decision maker. The fact of the matter was February lacked confidence. She had the talent but not the swag of other young talented players. When a player is lacking in confidence it’s a very tricky situation for a coach or trainer. Coach them too hard and you can break them. Don’t coach them hard enough and they don’t reach their potential. February, was coached hard. At times, you could tell she stopped enjoying the game. She struggled in games and it seemed she was on her way to being just another kid who played the game and then moved on. It seemed she was over her head.

Like a lot of kids February was a player who was part of my inner circle and seemed to have moved on. This is the nature of youth basketball. I didn’t see much of her in the summer and most of the fall. I basically lost track of her. Like a lot of young players sometimes the parents think they know the road map.

Too often it ends up with a disappointing end game. But February’s mom JOYCE was a great player in high school and college. She was just inducted into the into her high school and college hall of fame. She knew what it took for her daughter to fulfill her potential. Too often when I don’t see players. They say “just because I’m not training with you doesn’t mean I’m not working” then you watch the video and you see that player has not developed and in many cases have gone backwards as those around them lie. You don’t say anything but you know the end game is not going to be pretty. In case of February Ellison, the proof is in the pudding. She has been working and it has been reflected in her game. Her development has been magical. Her mother didn’t give her a pass or surround her with those whispering sweet words in her ears. She gave her daughter truth and February has responded in a wonderful way

About 4 weeks ago out of nowhere February Ellison showed up for after school shooting. I was shocked at how well she shot the ball. The transformation was hard to believe. Her improvement was truly a statement. Then she stayed for point guard school. She not only was under control. She was no longer over dribbling or fearing pressure. I thought to myself “is this real or just a kid having a good day”. Well February started showing up everyday to after school shooting and point guard. She was clearly a kid dripping in confidence and wanted to show it off. I knew something very special was happening for February and when she showed up at NBS, all questions and doubts were removed.

February showed up at NBS and blew me away. See at NBS we don’t drill. Every thing we do is a competition with a body in from of you. Watching February bury jumper after jumper was impressive. Watching her dancing in the lane and finding teammates was a beautiful sight. Seeing her guarding D1 guards made me stop in my tracks. You see February Ellison has taken her entire game to another level. She also has elevated the players around her. Something I personally never saw coming. She has managed to figure it all out. Rather than make excuses she made things happen in a big way. Rather than complain she worked. Rather than run or create drama, she faced adversity. Now she is being rewarded.

There are kids in the 2029 class with bigger reputations. But their improvement curve is not bigger than February’s. The most common club in basketball are players failure to reach their potential. Failure to make their dreams come true. February won’t be joining that club. If you had told me 6 months ago February Ellison, would be on the ALL FRESHMAN TEAM. I would have laughed at you. But guess what? it’s a real possibility. If you had told me she is going to be one of the most improved players regardless of grade. I would told you to get off the crack. Well she right now she is exactly that. The fact of the matter is February Ellison is going to Freehold high School and is going to be an impact from day one. She also is now tracking as a player that college coaches better get to know, remember the improvement curve is the biggest predictor of the future… MISS ELLISON HAS EMERGED! She is proof how all kids are on a different time table when trying to fulfill their dreams. February is finally in the spotlight and she is going to shine.

ALL SHOOTING… PASSING AND BALL HANDLING… non contact event