Okay, here’s exactly how I hustled for that All-Shore spot last season. No fluff, just what I did.
The Reality Check
After getting cut twice, I knew my old routine was trash. Coaches kept picking shooters and lockdown guys. I was just “okay” at everything, great at nothing. Watched tape of past All-Shore players – dude, they all had one thing SCREAMING off the film. Needed to find mine.
Choosing My Weapon
Tried being a 3-point specialist first. Shot 500 threes daily for two weeks. Arm felt like noodles, accuracy still trash. Nope. Switched gears – realized I could slide like grease laterally. Decided to sell out on DEFENSE. That became my ticket.
Lockdown Training Grind
- Slide drills til dark: Every morning, 45 minutes just sliding side-to-side in my driveway. Focused on keeping hips LOW. Measured my width with two cracks in the concrete. If I stepped over ’em, restarted the set.
- Stance endurance: Held defensive stance against my garage wall while streaming Netflix. Aimed for entire show episodes. Quit halfway through every rom-com my sister put on – those are brutal.
- Closeouts on anything: Mailman walking up? Closed out. Dog chasing squirrels? Closed out. Practiced choppy steps then exploding up, arm in the face.
The Rebounding Hustle
Knew defense alone wouldn’t cut it. Watched film – All-Shore wings average 8 rebounds a game. My old stat? Three. Started crashing EVERY miss in practice. Even jumped for my teammate’s wide-open layups once – coach benched me for that stunt. Worth it.
Showcase Weekend Test Run
Local tournament before selections. Guarded their top scorer – chest in his jersey all game. When he tried that stepback, my hand was already blocking his eyes. He airballed. Felt amazing. But I bricked two dunks off steals. Next day: nothing but finishing drills.
Final Push
Week before selections, I texted assistant coach: “Need extra film?” Sent clips of me denying passes and boxing out dudes six inches taller. Didn’t ask if I made it. Figured I’d either get the call… or not.
Made it. Coach said my name, I nodded like I expected it. Walked to the parking lot after and screamed into my gym bag for solid five minutes. Defense sells.