Wrap up in Miami

Our time in Miami has come to an end...next stop: Santiago, Chile! I have cherished the last 12 days to grow with the team, both on and off the court. Each day, these girls are becoming more like sisters, and I'm looking forward to what we can achieve together this summer!

Training this week

Andrew Moran (an NBA skills coach) was gracious enough to conduct a couple skills sessions with us. The drills focused on strengthening our off arm to protect the basketball from defense, new moves to beat a defender, and new ways to finish when driving to the basket. To work on the off arm ball protection, we used a basketball in combination with a 2LB medicine ball or a cone. When we crossed over, our hands switched the medicine ball to the other hand or grabbed the cone. This developed a quicker and stronger movement of the off arm. We also focused on getting low in every offensive move in order to be more explosive.
The new moves he taught us definitely expanded our game! Here's a video from our first session.

The team was blessed to have 2 sessions with NBA skills coach Andrew Moran

I'm really proud of the way we finished our games. We won our game on Friday evening against a mix of college players, and did very well in some pick-up games against players from the University of Miami (and some club players that jumped in). Against the U of Miami, we split up into 4 teams (2 from Chile and 2 from U of Miami) and played at the same time on their 2 practice courts. One team won 4/4 games, and the other 3/4. Both teams had balanced scoring and defending. It was a solid team effort to win 7 out of 8 games against physical and strong competition!

Pick-up games at the University of Miami, in the basketball training facility

Reflecting on Miami

Personally, I've felt an improvement in my game and increased comfort with the Chile basketball style of play. In our 5th game, I started to click with my all-around game. I scored four 3-pointers, a few mid-range jumpers, a couple inside shots, and all my free-throws. Personally and as a team, it's a great feeling when you improve each game and finish strong!

I've also started to figure out my role on the team. I'm asked to defend the quickest guard full-court, be a leading rebounder on both ends, and support much of our scoring. It's a big ask and a big honor to play a key role for a country's national team!

I've enjoyed learning more about international basketball. I believe a vast majority of basketball is similar across languages and cultures. FIBA has different rules, which slightly alters the game and strategy. Some of the biggest differences I've noted thus far are:

• Offense
• There is a 24 second shot clock and an 8 second back-court, so the plays are shorter quick-hits. 
• Because we play against lots of shorter teams, we are encouraged to dribble less and pass more (so the ball doesn't get stolen).
• Hand-offs are used more.
• The 3-point line is farther than college.
• The "paint" is wider.
• Only 3 players from each team box-out for free-throws (in college there were 4 for the defensive team and 3 for the offensive team).
• Less mid-range shooting, more 3-pointers or inside shots.
• Defense
• Full-court defense
• More physical on the ball (when someone is dribbling more hands go for the ball/arms/waists)
• Less physical off the ball (boxing out involves less pushing the offensive player backwards)
• Less denying passes, more help inside to prevent penetration and  

Outside of basketball, I've been reminded that I have light hair for a Chilean, so some have been calling me their "blondie friend." And with no surprise, I've had a great opportunity to improve my Spanish, both in speaking, and more than I expected in writing because everyone uses "Whats App" to communicate via texts.

Chile, here we come!

This will be my 6th time in Chile, but my first without my parents. I will be staying at CAR, the training center for athletes in Santiago. I'm excited for the continuation of this adventure!

Heading back to Chile!