f.a.q.

You have questions. wE have answers.

We understand that you have questions in regards to our camps and services. We hope to answer as many as we can below if you have additional unanswered questions feel free to contact us

What makes the Rick Mahorn Big Man Camp the best opportunity for me?

We incorporate teaching scrimmages and full games with refs to take you all the way to where you need to be.

What age players do you guys work with?

We have worked with pro players to age 26 and youth players as young as 13. Our camps accommodate different age levels according to ability level so that players will be neither held back nor in above their heads. Professional, college and high school players have all availed themselves of our online coaching (more information in another FAQ). If you (or your child) is 10-15 we invited you to contact us at info@bigman.camp or by using the ” Contact Us” form on this website about setting up an initial zoom conversation.

A lot of players use the summer to work with an individual coach. Why should I spend money to attend your camp?

Working with an individual coach is very important, but as mentioned above, it is only the start. Imagine learning to drive in an empty mall parking lot. After a good number of lessons, you will know the workings of driving a car. BUT YOU WILL NEVER HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF DRIVING IN TRAFFIC! Now imagine driving in busy city streets or crowded highways!!

Ettore Messina, who for many years was Gregg Popovich’s lead assistant coach with the Spurs, is a strong advocate of our approach. “For most young big men, footwork and balance are one of the most important areas they need to improve. These guys all look elegant in their workout tapes but put them in actual games and you see how often and how easily they are pushed around and lose their balance. Unless you are practicing your moves in real-life scrimmages with continual feedback, you are wasting your efforts.”

And that is exactly what we do, because our goal is for you to play your best in the heat of competition. Too many programs and training situations produce guys who perform great in practice, and leave you to figure out for yourself how to make the transfer to game-play when everything is being thrown at you.

The old-school back-to-the-basket big man is not so much in demand these days. What will a camp featuring big man play give me?

One of the ways in which we have evolved is to develop a more comprehensive approach, as evidenced by our new name: Rick Mahorn Big Man and Guard Camp. If you are a big, we will help you develop a broad skill set including a more flexible style of big man play.

Together with this, our overall focus is to help you strengthen your particular style of play rather than look for you to change to fit some general mold. We will help you correct some of your commonly-recurring mistakes and point out some things you can do more frequently or in a different way to achieve a more aggressive and commanding game.

How will this camp help me with overall conditioning in preparation for the coming season?

Players get a good amount of personal attention, and that includes your physical conditioning. This includes strength, balance, explosion and vertical abilities. Drills combine both basketball skills and conditioning – and even add a focus on how your mindset contributes to or detracts from you best performance. Of course, serious players show up to camp already in good condition!!

Why is yours the only camp where mental coaching is an integral part of the camp?

The majority of coaches have little experience with mental coaching, other than to agree that the mental game is a critical part of winning, so they are typically neither able to add much in this area nor inclined by previous experience to do so. Dr. Mitch Smith has 25 years’ experience in sport psychology, having worked with hundreds of big men and dozens of NCAA and professional teams in both the U.S and overseas. There is a general consensus in the world of sport that as an athlete becomes more proficient in his sport’s technical skills, the mental part becomes increasingly critical. In evaluations of our past camps, players rate the mental coaching component as being of significant benefit.

While many mental coaches tend to teach a variety of techniques, our approach is more organic, helping you to develop an understanding of some of the blocks in your path and what will best work for you to reduce or eliminate them. In general, focus, confidence and stress are the areas that most come up in our work. The end goal, like in the more physical part of our program, is to impart tools that you will use as your basketball journey continues.

The camp looks great! Unfortunately, I am unable to take part on those dates. What other options can you suggest?

One thing you can do is take part in much of the camp virtually. We will be livestreaming the teaching sessions and will offer the option to sign up for that.

The other thing we suggest is our online coaching option. The way it works is that you submit some game clips and we will schedule a zoom session with some of our coaches who will review with you possession by possession and look at some of the small but consequential mistakes you are making as well as what you do well that you should be doing more frequently.

Keep in mind that, unlike your team coach, our only agenda is to help you get better, and a big part of this is to increase your understanding of how you are playing. The dozens of players who have taken advantage of this option, especially during the pandemic, have found these sessions extremely beneficial. You can find examples of sessions with players on our YouTube site. For more information contact us at info@bigman.camp.

I really want to attend the camp but money is an issue. Do you offer any kind of financial aid?

We believe in our camp and what it can give you and don’t want anyone to miss out for financial reasons!!! Therefore we offer the following possibilities:

1. You may want to turn to family/friends, your church, and others who your family does business with (accountant, attorney, dentist, insurance agent, etc.) to help you fund your participation, including setting up a GoFundMe page.

2. To promote the community values we espouse at the Rick Mahorn Big Man Camp, we are partnering with The Center for Sport and Character to offer scholarships to cover part of the camp fees for those who engage in 20 hours of community service. To receive this scholarship you will be required to meet specific conditions. Contact info@bigman.camp for details.

3. For those attending the Holy Land Camp, a post-camp rebate of up to $150 can be earned upon submission of an op-ed piece of article published in your college or local newspaper reflecting your experience. Guides at info@bigman.camp

Note: You are advised to check with your college to be sure that any scholarship funds you receive are consistent with NCAA or other regulations.

I sometimes struggle with confidence. Especially after making one or more mistakes, I am always afraid my coach is going to sit me down. What can I do about this?

As noted elsewhere in these FAQs, the higher the level of play, the more important it is that your mental toughness is up to snuff. You wouldn’t expect to excel in ball handling or shooting without devoting consistent and repeated work on these skills. The exact same thing applies to mental skills, confidence being a prime example.

Players who are serious about their game are encouraged to work with Dr. Mitch on your mental game. In as few as two sessions (or as long as an entire season for quite a few college and pro players) he can help you bring about a sea change in the mindset you are bringing to the game. You can contact Mitch at info@bigman.camp.