Patrick Mutombo 6′6 guard/forward has signed a professional contract with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.  Mutombo played in Greece’s A1 division last season with Trikalla 2000.  He spent the previous 3 seasons with numerous teams in Italy’s top division.  Mutombo played his college ball at Division II Metro State College of Denver, winning 2 national championships and being named an All-American. 

Mutombo will be a difference maker on a Jam team that has been struggling in the D-League’s Western Conference.  His veteren leadership and tremendous work ethic will  be extremely valuable on and off the court.  Mutombo has built a reputation as a high I.Q. basketball athlete that truly understands how to play the game.  His offensive versatility and willingness to take personal pride on the defensive end of the floor makes him an asset at any level.

Mutombo has been a client of Geoff Golden Basketball for the past 2 years.  I’ve had the pleasure of helping prepare Patrick for his time in Greece and now with an exciting opportunity in the NBA Development League.  Best of luck Pat…I’m definitely going to miss the tireless workouts on the court but may miss the basketball conversation/debates even more.   

Coach Golden

Adam Kilian 6′2 guard from Krakow, Poland has arrived in Denver to work with Geoff Golden Basketball.  Kilian has spent the past 5 seasons playing professionally in Poland competing last season with Big Star Tychy in the first division.  He will spend the next 3-4 weeks training with GGB in a comprehensive program designed to prepare him both physically and mentally to compete for a minor league job here in the States. 

Adam Kilian

Geoff Golden Basketball and Lakeshore Athletic Club – Flatiron will be teaming up to offer a variety of new youth basketball programs to begin in October.  The developmental programs will be designed for all abilities and will have an emphasis on learning and improving fundamental skill while increasing basketball I.Q through game specific drills.   All sessions will begin the first week of October, 2009.

*Little Hoopsters - Never to young to learn the game! This program is designed for 5 and 6 year old athletes looking to get an introduction into the basic fundamentals of basketball while developing a love for the game.  Each session will run 45 minutes every Saturday morning at 9am beginning October 3rd.

*All-Stars - Program designed for athletes age 7 to 10. Learn the fundamentals – shooting form/technique, ballhandling, passing, offensive and defensive footwork etc.  All abilities welcome!  Each session will run 60 minutes every Saturday morning  at 10am beginning October 3rd.

*MVP’s – Program designed to teach the fundamentals of the game while increasing basketball I.Q. for athletes ages 11-14.  All abilities welcome…if you have a desire to become a better player and prepare for success at a higher level this is your program.  Each session will run 60 minutes every Wednesday night at 6pm beginning October 7th.

All programs are on a month to month basis and will run year around.  Pro rates are available if you are unable to start at the beginning of the month.  All programs will be limited to 25 athletes so sign-up up today to reserve your spot.  All registration will be conducted through Lakshore Athletic Club. 303.729.4300 or www.lsac-flatiron.com.  For more information or questions regarding program content please contact Coach Golden at 303.549.1682 or coachgolden@geoffgolden.com. 

Geoff Golden Basketball – “Preparing for Success”

A new partnership was reached with Lakeshore Athletic Club – Flatiron as the new home for Geoff Golden Basketball.   The 150,000 square foot facility in Broomfield contains a full size NBA court and will host all GGB training, camps, clinics and seminars. 

Lakeshore is an amazing facility that also contains a state of the art weight room and cardio area along with rock climbing, tennis, indoor lap pool and spa just to name  a few other amenities.  In regards to health clubs is gets no better than Lakeshore!  The club has extended a special offer to all clients of Geoff Golden Basketball…join the club before Oct. 15th 2009 and your enrollment fee will be waived along with 10% off monthly dues.  For parents its a fantastic opportunity to bring your athlete for basketball training and accomplish your own daily workout all at the same time.   For more information on the club and membership opportunities contact Kellie at 303.729.4300 ext. 100 or visit www.lsac-flatiron.com

GGB and Lakeshore will also be teaming up to offer a variety of new basketball opportunities for all ages and abilities including weekly youth programs and basketball specific strength and conditioning  to begin in October…keep an eye out for more details!

Geoff Golden will be conducting a player development/coaching clinic for the Parker Hoops Youth Basketball Organization.  The clinic will be held on Aug. 8th from 6-7:30pm at Legend (CO) High School.

In preparing for shooting camp a couple of weeks ago I came across some old notes that I had taken at a shooting clinic a few years back by basketball guru Dave Hopla (Washington Wizards).   As a player development coach I’m always in search of new ways to make a point or really drive a point home to athletes of all ages and abilities.  One very simple portion of the notes really stood out to me regarding what it takes to become a great shooter.   I decided to share the thoughts in my camp:

“How many of you would be interested if I could tell you how to become the world’s greatest shooter?  I have the answer for you….its actually a very simple concept that contains only two steps and anyone is capable.   So here it is….to become the world’s greatest shooter you to must (1) learn proper from and then (2)shoot more than anyone else in the world!  That’s it….there’s your answer!”

As you can imagine this doesn’t get a raving applause from a group of young athletes who are growing up in the “microwave culture” and have very little appreciation for “delayed gratification”.  They want the quick fix…the magic pill…the answer that gets results immediately.  But that isn’t how the game works…its a process to become a great shooter or player for that matter and if I can get them thinking in those terms then I think I’ve made some progress.

The bottom line is this…shooting the basketball effectively is about form and repetition.  Learning proper form at a young age is crucial as bad habits can be very difficult to correct as an athlete gets older.  Attention to detail with the feet, elbow, hand placement on the ball and follow thru are all key elements in proper development.  As I have always said with every repetition you are either forming good habits or bad habits and those habits determine your success.  With young basketball athletes a lack of strength is a very common reason for developing bad habits…adjust accordingly.  Use a smaller ball, shoot at a lower basket, stay closer to the basket when getting repetition (stay away from the 3pt line) etc. 

In terms of repetition it just comes down to the amount of quality time you are willing to put into the process.  There is no secert here…the more you shoot the basketball the better shooter you will become.  With that said its also important to note that not all repetition is equal.  Game shots at game spots at game speed are going to get much quicker results than what I like to refer to as “social shooting” that does not contain the same energy and focus.  As with all great accomplishments there is always a price to be paid…I think that is a decision each individual athlete must make on thier own.  As an athlete are you willing to make the “time” sacrifice, the “effort” sacrifice, the “social” scarifice.  There isn’t a great shooter out there that hasn’t made those sacrifices in the past to get where they are today because every great shooter follows the same path to success…form and repetition!   Shooters are made not born so if your one of those basketball athletes who are willing to learn proper form and then take the quality repetition to another level of commitment maybe…just maybe you could become the “worlds greatest shooter!”

Coach Golden