Global Sports Brand Under Armour 'UA NEXT 2024'. The process is transparent, and the support is the best. Basketball Camp to nurture Korea's top prospects
Nov 20, 2024
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It is a global program that selects youth players from around the world with the highest potential and supports them to grow into better players through Under Armour.
In Korea, 'UA NEXT: CAMP SERIES KOREA' was successfully held last year. This year, we held 'UA NEXT 2024' to continue discovering and supporting elite basketball players.
It was held at Yonsei University Gymnasium for two days from the 16th.
This year 'UA NEXT 2024' selected 21 elite first-year high school basketball players nationwide and held a camp where they gathered everything they needed for basketball for two days and one night. Numerous basketball camps are held in Korea to find promising players, but this camp was the best in Korea The level itself was different, including the quantity and quality of the program, unconventional support items, and strict screening methods.
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Twenty-one players gathered at the basketball camp.
On the first day, a professional-level precise program was conducted to play the actual game.
▶Profile shooting ▶UANEXT and Under Armour brands introduction and product payment ▶ Basketball Combine ▶ skill training.
The size of the support item itself was different. All the basketball supplies needed to play one game, including basketball shoes (Curry 12), uniforms, two compression suits, training, and shooting stops worth about 2 million won per person, were provided. You can see how much Under Armagh put into the youth basketball camp.
Accurate exercise ability was measured by measuring physical details such as height, weight, wingspan, and reach. As an elite basketball player, it is an essential element to know your strengths and weaknesses accurately.
In the basketball combine session, tests such as vertical jumping, 20m sprint, and lane agility were conducted to evaluate the strength, jumping ability, speed, and agility of the participants.
Combine sessions are tests conducted in professional basketball rookie drafts. It is the data that serves as the basis for measuring physical abilities that are essential as a basketball player, analyzing and supplementing individual strengths and weaknesses.
Later, with a professional trainer, they learned how to warm up and recover that professional players actually use in training and in practice.
It is an essential element for amateur elite athletes, but it is also a little-known know-how. Warm-up and recovery are essential parts for maximizing performance and preventing injuries in practice. Not only did they play pick-up games, but basketball prospects told us what they needed for their future growth. It is a high-quality program that considers the future of prospects.
Since then, a comprehensive and detailed program has been conducted to improve the performance of players, not only skill training that can improve individual abilities, but also mental training and conditioning methods.
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It was a day when a full-fledged pick-up game was held.
The 21 prospects were divided into three teams and played two games per team.
Through this match, the five players who showed the best performance were selected, and they provided special benefits to participate in the UA NEXT APAX in China in December, along with supporting under Armour products.
The selection method was strict and transparent. First of all, 21 first-year high school elite players were selected strictly through KBL scouts' recommendations and under Armour's self-verification.
The judges (Jersey Group), who select five, also consisted of nine basketball experts with more than 10 years of experience, probably with little to no connection with basketball.
It was also the reason why only the uniform number was engraved on the uniform of the pick-up game instead of the players' names.
Nine experts were given iPads with screening programs. A total of 15 items were evaluated as reference points, including 10 items (out of 5), including shooting, dribbling, passing, defense, athletic ability, team play & playing attitude, and five essential elements (out of 10) needed for game play. It was a method of comprehensive measurement of attack, defense, training attitude, and playing attitude. Nine experts evaluated the 21 players' every move while holding their breath throughout the pickup game.
After the breathtaking pick-up game, the Curry Challenger, a celebration event, was held. A total of 20 shooting spots were designated and ranked in the way that the most shots were successful within the time limit. Kim Min-ki won first place.
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The 21 best players in their first year of high school. Divided into 3 teams.
All 21 players fought fiercely. Strong pressure and hustle play followed, followed by an exquisite hedge dribble, a double clutch, and a cheerful fastball. It was a series of fairly dense games.
The five players chosen in the final round were Kwak Gun-woo (Yongsan High School), Baek Ji-hoon (Anyang High School), Yoon Ji-hoon (Gyeongbok High School), Heo Gun-woo (Anyang High School), and Kim Seung-hyun (Myeongji High School).
Kwak Gun-woo and Yoon Ji-hoon certainly stood out. Both players received high marks for their solid air defense balance, basketball understanding, and game reading and technique.
In terms of personal ability, Heo Kun-woo was outstanding. Based on strong athletic ability, he showed excellent breakthrough ability one after another. He was as good as college and professional players when it came to breaking through. Baek Ji-hoon's power and control under the basket were dominant. He was tall at 1m95 and dominated the basket with outstanding power, and showed solid shooting and dribbling ability on the outside. Finally, Kim was the most active of the 21 contestants. In addition to solid attacks, invisible defensive contributions were very high, including off-the-ball movements, 2-2 defense, and deflection (a defense that tries to block when shooting an attacker, but not a block) that is essential in modern basketball.
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▶Best 5 = Kwak Gun-woo (Yongsan High School), Baek Ji-hoon (Anyang High School), Yoon Ji-hoon (Gyeongbok High School), Heo Gun-woo (Anyang High School), and Kim Seung-hyun (Myeongji High School)
sfryu@sportschosun.com
