Myles Dread At The Trophy Shelf
Dear Basketball World,
First I would like to thank Mike Melton and the BBall Spotlight staff for selecting me to share the story of my 8th grade year in the "Diary of a Baller" series. I have read the other articles written by past players and hope I have as many interesting stories as they had during their time. This year is an important year for me. I have to get ready to play on the high school level next year. There is a lot of work to do to reach my goal of playing in high school and college. I look forward to sharing my experiences in the "Diary of a Baller" series.
This was an exciting week for me. I made the decision to leave the Metro Sixers organization and join Team Takeover. My last four years with Mr. Terry and Mrs. Denise were great! I thank them so much for everything they did for me and my teammates. I hope they continue to help other kids in the future, the same way they helped me. I will miss them. Most of all I am going to miss Mr. Terry's big voice yelling, "METRO!" and our parents yelling back "SIXERS!". Being part of that family is something I will never forget. I began my workouts with Team Takeover this week. The coaches are tough. They really push me to be the best player I can be. I am going to like playing with my teammates. I have played with some of them in the past so it is great that we can stay together and get better.
I had a great chance to spend time with my family during the Labor Day weekend. We spent time grilling and enjoying my mom's and grandma's cooking. In between all the good food, we found time to get in the gym to work on my game. I work out with my coach Kelvin Johnson and my dad for the most part. The two of them have worked out my brother and I since we have been 9 and 7 years old. We spend most of our time on improving my ball handling and jump shooting. On Monday I got a chance to play against some ex-college players that workout at the Lifetime Fitness where I train. It is a good experience playing against bigger, faster, and stronger players that take the time to teach me the game. I get a chance to play with more freedom and learn how to play different positions as well.
On Tuesday, it was back to school after a long weekend. This is my second week at my new school. I attend Benjamin Banneker Middle School in Burtonsville Maryland. I am excited about starting school this year where I get a chance to meet a new set of friends and go to school with my younger brother again. My favorite subject has always been math. This year I will get a chance to take on the challenge of Algebra.
Later on in the week, I picked up my normal training sessions. Wednesday, I went to work with Mr. Alonzo at Accelerate Your Game. He is an excellent speed and agility trainer. He focuses on helping me improve my lateral quickness and jumping ability. After Alonzo's, we hit the gym and played pick up with adults. Then home to finish homework and study for my Algebra and Spanish quiz. Thursday after school I hit the Combat Lab. This is where I work with a trainer to increase my strength and flexibility. I am going to be playing a physically demanding schedule this year so I want to make sure my body is as ready as it can be. After Combat Lab, it was off to Coach Kelvin for a skill workout session. Coach Kelvin focuses works on improving my guard skills. He wants me to be prepared to play guard when I get to high school.
On Friday I was excited to get my Algebra and Spanish test back. I got an A on both tests. This was a great way to kick off my school year. Friday was my day to rest and recover. Then on Saturday and Sunday, it was back to the lab. We had two hour practices both days. I really like my new team and am excited about the chance to get better. Well, until next time I will be working hard on my books and my game.
Sincerely,
Myles Dread
