Before I get started, I want to disclose that I’m the Director of Recruitment and a Coach at the Charlotte Jay Bilas Skills Camp. However, that’s ONLY because I truly believe in the camp and the benefits it offers to high school players as college basketball prospects.

If I didn’t believe in the camp, I wouldn’t have anything to do with it.

In my opinion, as a former college basketball player and pro player and current youth basketball coach, it’s the BEST basketball camp around for SERIOUS high school players who want to play at the NEXT LEVEL.

More specifically, there are 10 reasons why college basketball prospects should attend the Jay Bilas Skills Camp in either Charlotte or Oklahoma City.

10 Reasons to Attend the Jay Bilas Skills Camp

#1 Better than Playing Games

Although the below reasons are not in order of most important to least, this one, to me, actually is the MOST important.

Attending the Jay Bilas Skills Camp is MUCH better than playing games at an AAU tournament or high school team camp. I understand that this isn’t going to make AAU coaches and high school coaches very happy from a team perspective as they may have to play without their best player(s), but if they really want what’s best for the player(s) then they’ll encourage them to go to this camp instead.

Why?

Simply put, it’s more efficient for the player in terms of individual skill work, which will make them better in the long run.

Don’t believe me?

Well, let’s look at the numbers/facts. Let’s say a player goes to his high school team camp or AAU tournament and plays a total of 6 games over the course of the weekend.

Let’s even say unrealistically that that player plays every single second of each 40-minute game. That equals a total of 200 minutes played. Well, half of those 200 minutes are on defense, which means 100 total minutes of offense.

Now, remember there are 4 other players on the court, so that 100 offensive minutes divided by 5 means the player had the ball in his hands for a total of 20 minutes the ENTIRE weekend over the course of those 6 games!

At the Bilas Camp, players participate in basketball skills, drills, and games for a total of 28 hours over the course of 3 days. Yes, some of those are 5 vs. 5 games, but that’s probably only about 8-9 of those hours. That means the other 20 hours are mostly spent with a ball in hand doing skills and drills.

So, 20 hours of skills and drills versus 20 minutes of ball in hand during games? Which one do you think is better for development?

#2 Extraordinary Camp Leadership

The Jay Bilas Skills Camp is led and coached by Jay Bilas and John Searby. No, this is not a camp where a famous player or coach slaps his or her name on the camp and then is rarely, if ever, around.

Instead, Jay Bilas is actually there from START to FINISH. He is teaching, coaching, and leading the entire time, and he is one of the best basketball minds in the world today!

John Searby is officially the Camp Director. John is a former D1 basketball coach at Auburn, Tennessee Tech, and Gardner Webb, so his basketball background and experience speaks for itself. This probably explains why the camp is run like a college basketball program, but more on that later.

These guys have only one goal with camp – make the game of basketball better by helping guys become better players. No ulterior motives because they both have been very successful at their “day jobs.” Leadership that just loves the game makes a difference.

#3 High-Level Camp Coaches

The Jay Bilas Skills Camp staffs the camp with actual D3 college coaches. Since there are no NCAA rules prohibiting D3 coaches from working camp like there are for D1 and D2, they come coach at camp in order to give back to the kids and evaluate college prospects at the same time.

Where else can you get such high-level coaching?

#4 College-level Work Required of Players

I’ve written before about the amount of work and the high level of intensity required at the college level, and this is the MOST INTENSE camp I have ever seen in terms of the amount of court-time and work required.

It is 3 days of non-stop morning to night basketball. I guarantee the campers have NEVER worked this hard in their life and won’t again until they get to the college-level, if they’re lucky enough to get that far.

If kids can make it through the Jay Bilas Skills Camp and enjoy the process while they’re at it then they will most likely be successful at the college level when the work required is as intense as this basketball camp.

#5 Elite Competition

College prospects from all around the country are INVITED to the Jay Bilas Skills Camp. All of these players are varsity level high school players and most have a desire to play basketball in college, and in fact, many are good enough to do just that as demonstrated by the current camp alumni playing at the D1, D2, and D3 levels currently.

We INVITE players to the camp who we believe fit the bill of a college prospect, so not just anyone can sign up!

#6 Scouting by ESPN’s Paul Biancardi

One of the most EXCLUSIVE things and biggest benefits about the Bilas Camp is that ESPN’s National Director of Basketball Recruiting, Coach Paul Biancardi, is there from start to finish and evaluates every single player.

Each player goes home with an evaluation from the camp, and then they receive feedback via email from Paul Biancardi, and there is no one better to evaluate young players than Coach Biancardi!

Also, side-note on recruiting in basketball, I’ve witnessed multiple times, Jay, John, and Paul make personal phone calls to their friends who are D1 coaches letting them know about some of the best players at camp that they think that coach should start recruiting!

#7 Performance Training by Alan Stein

Another exclusive benefit of this basketball skills camp is that Alan Stein, the nation’s premiere basketball performance trainer and motivational speaker, comes, and;

1. Does performance training work with the kids.
2. Spreads his motivational message that, in my opinion, is one of the most valuable things college basketball prospects can hear.

#8 Recruiting Education for Parents

Parents, we haven’t forgotten about you!

On the first day, the camp puts on 2 college basketball recruiting clinics strictly for parents. We know that this can be a super confusing subject and as parents we want to do what’s best for our children, so these clinics are put on by coaches and scouts that can actually explain the process.

The 2 clinics include “How Does the Recruiting Process Work?” and “What Are Scouts/Recruiters Looking At?”.

This is vital information for all parents with a college prospect!

#9 Number of Campers Limited

Let’s be clear, Jay Bilas does not put on this basketball camp to make money. He has other ways to do that. Jay and John do this camp to make a positive impact on young players/college prospects and leave a legacy and imprint on the game.

Because of this, the camp limits the number of players to 100 maximum. That may sound like a big number, but considering we have 3 full courts and over 40 coaches at the camp, a ratio of almost 1 coach to 2 players, that’s not many.

The camp could easily take hundreds of kids, but we cap it to ensure the HIGHEST quality experience possible. Better sign up now if you want to join!

#10 Quality Facilities

Last, but not least, the Charlotte Jay Bilas Skills Camp is held at Queens University in the beautiful Myers Park area of Charlotte. Not only is Queens one of the best D2 basketball programs in the nation, but they have the facilities of a D1 school, meaning big, new, and top-notch.

Campers stay in the Queens dorms, eat 3 good meals a day at the cafeteria, and attend camp, obviously, in the gym called the Levine Center.

In Oklahoma City, the Bilas Camp is held on the campus of Southern Nazarene University. SNU’s facilities are also D1 level in both quality and space on a compact campus that is easy to get around.

Is that enough reasons why college prospects should attend the Jay Bilas Skills Camp?

Because I could go on! But seriously, I truly believe this camp is the BEST basketball camp around for players who are college basketball prospects. Every year the camp has gotten better and better, and this year we’re expecting our best camp yet.

If you want a possible invitation, please email me at bwinters@jaybilascamp.com, and let me know the player’s name, position, school, high school stats, and any videos you have. Then, if we judge the player to be good enough to warrant an invitation, we’ll send you an invite!