Summer Pro-Am League

By Adonal Foyle

Hi Everyone,

As NBA fans, you probably think the summer is filled with relaxation, traveling and just getting away from the game of basketball for a while. And for the most part, that's true. But for me, I'm going to have a busier summer than usual.

This offseason, I'm finishing up my Master's degree in sport psychology at John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, I'm going to have more basketball camps around the Bay Area and - for the first time in a while - I'm going to participate in the San Francisco Pro-Am Summer Basketball League.

For the past two years, I really hadn't played a whole lot. Other than sharpening up my skills, I want to make sure that I can still play at a high level. And with the type of talent that is participating in the Pro-Am League, there's no other replica to basketball than actually playing basketball. Playing the game is always fun - any time of the year. And as a pro, I'd still like to play in the league for a few more years. So I want to make sure that I still have the desire and the skills simply because I hadn't gotten a whole lot of minutes over the past two seasons. With that said, it's certainly important to keep my skills sharp and fresh. And if and when I get onto a team, I will be ready to go. And playing in the Pro-Am will definitely help me with that.

The Pro-Am League consists of great basketball players who are working on their game during the offseason in hopes of becoming a better player for their respective team. And those who are not on a team are working hard in order to make a team. At the same time, we also want to win as a team.

For me, anytime I'm on a team, I want to work on specific tasks. At the same time, I want to win. There's an old basketball saying where you spend the first three quarters working on your game, and you spend the final quarter trying to win. I do believe that while you're in the summer league, you can work on your game and be able to work as a team to try to win at the same time. There are ways for that to mutually exist. I tell players all the time - nobody comes to watch a losing team. So if you do well and play the game right, people will come and see you. The same thing applies in the NBA. If a player is on a successful team, that player (along with his teammates) will be the ones to get looked at and get contracts.

I currently play for S.F. City. I am the only NBA player on my team, but there is some great talent surrounding me. Dior Lowhorn was the West Coast Conference's top scorer and plays at the University of San Francisco. Anthony Goods is a player on the rise who plays at Stanford. And John Bryant is an athletic big man who plays at Santa Clara.

I really like the makeup of my team. I'm the only NBA player on the team. But there are some quality Division I players who all want to win. And that's usually enough to create the right amount of energy for a team to work together and try to knock out the opponent. Plus, these guys aren't selfish. They all look out for each other, they all want to get better, they're looking for guidance and they'll do whatever it takes to win. When you're around players who want to get better, who want to win and do the things that are right, it's very easy to like them. It's definitely a fun team to be around.

I've only been around them twice, but I already like them. That's a testament of not only the cohesiveness of the group, but also the willingness to immerse themselves to betterment.

Most of the time, you'll see that NBA players will play in these Pro-Am games whenever they are in town. But for me, I'll play in every game possible. The only thing I need to watch out for is if I'm overdoing things. Along with playing in the Pro-Am, I'm continuing my individual training, putting together my basketball camps, going to school for my Master's Degree and looking for a new team to play for. What's good about the Pro-Am league is that there is only one game per week. So it doesn't take too much of a toll on your body. So, I plan to play as many games as possible.

If you'd like to see who else from the NBA is participating in this year's Pro-Am Summer League, log on to www.sanfranciscoproam.com.

- Adonal