Blog

 

Address: 1217 W Carter St, Kokomo, IN

RSVP: jcleebarnett@gmail.com

Selections for travel ball have been made!!! The month of September will be utilized as a training period preparing for October, November and December league and tourney play. There will be two teams, that consist of mainly 8th graders and some 7th graders. JC Barnett III and Danny Carrico couldn’t be anymore thrilled with the turnout. Let’s meet the young men that will be competing over the next few months.

Tyrone Bethea

Nathan Wright

Zavion Bellamy

Hayden Anthony

Cedric Anderson Jr.

Jensyn Grattan

Jay Patterson

Dylon Bass

Patrick Hardimon

Mekhi McGee

Kaiden Blane

Matthan McGriff

Tyler Carrigan

Hunter Foland

Owen Lowe

Ethan Ennis

CoVieon Walker

Phillip Manning

Cayden Greer

Deundre Kirby

Postings will be made informing the public of league and tourney play game schedules. Come out and support this talented group of young men as the do the very best they can to make Kokomo and the surrounding area proud.

 

 

Wow, hard to believe that it’s been 3 months to the day since I’ve written my last blog. Well, here I am again 🙂 …

 

I wanted to come to everyone with some pretty exciting news! That is if you haven’t heard about it already. As a part of the ‘2nd Annual Stylish Gents Blacktop Reunion’, the JC Barnett School of Jump Shooting is hosting a FREE youth 3 on 3 basketball tournament. This is going to be such a great time!!!

 

Here are the details about the tournament itself. It will consist of grades 3-5 and 6-8. The rules and regulations will be much like any 3 on 3 tournament the kids have ever played in before. Game will be played to 15 by 1s and 2s, win by 2. Max 20 points to win the game if needed, also on a time limit of 25 minutes. Each team gets 1 time out per game. Change of possession causes for the rebounder to take the ball completely (Ball, body and feet) behind the 3pt line (or 2pt line). All other minor details of the “Rules and Regs” will be covered by the coach and the official briefly before the games starts.

 

 

Also, did I mention FREE jump shooting instruction and clinic, yes!!! I would really love to see every potential student and parent who has reached out to me about my basketball program there. Here is the opportunity to go home with a little bit of something to work with on your jump shot.

 

 

Too, I will be presenting Brandon Wood, a distinguished basketball player from Kokomo, Indiana and who does much in the community; with an honorary ‘JC Barnett School of Jump  Shooting’ Bachelors degree certificate for his accomplishments in the game of hoops.

 

The ‘Blacktop Reunion’ starts at 1p, the games will begin right at about that time as well. The competitive atmosphere is what I will be most proud of!! Teams will or may be co-ed, some younger some older, some bigger some smaller. There will be tournament winners that will receive hardware to take home with them. But, every single kid that comes out and competes at a high level and gives it their all, will be a winner in my book.

 

For anyone interested in coming and being a part of this youth 3 on 3, players. coaches. parents. Of course, there will be smack talk, a little friendly banter. Let’s remember who it’s about and enjoy watching these kids compete without so much as one bit of any “serious” drama. Thank you!!

 

Rgistration details need to be sent to jcleebarnett@gmail.com.
4 team members max,
Team Name:
Coach name:
Team members:
1.) Name (grade)
2.)
3.)
4.)

 

Hope to see you there!!!

For many, many years there was nothing that you could ever say or show me that would remove Michael Jordan from the throne, “greatest basketball player of all time”. Recently that has changed, at least been matched anyway… And it has absolutely nothing to do with performance on the basketball court.

You could argue with me all day long until you’re blue in the face that, what encapsulates a great anything – is how one has proven themselves within their art. We all know that the truth is, how we measure who we believe to be the greatest extends beyond that particular person’s field of play. Who they are off the floor is just as important. I won’t get real deep into this aspect, but shoes, clothes, relationships, scandals, philanthropy, etc.; are everything to this society’s perception of public figures. When that conversation arises in reference to basketball the answer for me had always been Jordan. I’m not going to pretend that I never did like Kobe Bryant’s game, of course I did. I’d deny it for a long time but he was the closest thing to Jordan, and I did admire his game and performances.

Kobe was somebody I’d always put on the back burner in talks of greatness in basketball. As funny as it may sound, he just seemed to be too close of a reflection of Michael Jordan. I know, weird right? Honestly somehow in my mind, that disqualified him from obtaining that title because of that relationship. To me he wasn’t the original, so.

 

 

It’s not even the fact that Kobe recently won an Oscar for his new television show ‘Detail’, that changed my perspective on him. After sitting down and watching his show, I came to the realization that he was sharing his brilliance. Hmmm, that’s different… On a large scale, nationally, globally for all to see, not just to a small select group of people who paid a large amount of money. Whoa!!! A quality that I’ve always admired most about athletes especially, is their tenacious competitiveness within the lines, but then to be down to earth and humble human beings outside of the arena. Kobe, a man of legendary status, has shown me that throughout the years. And now, for him to share all the little intimate details of what made him great, his thought processes as a basketball player; that shoots his level of greatness into the galaxy.

 

 

In the grand scheme of things, Kobe’s actions and achievements may seem a bit insignificant. Though in this case he has, can and will change the lives of many young people that wish to grow up and play basketball at the next level. Even those who are already there in the NBA. The integrity of the game has been in question in recent years. Kobe with his new series has a chance to completely change the direction it’s currently going. Although nobody will ever make me feel the way I did when I watched Michael Jordan play. I cannot deny Kobe Bryant and his brilliance. Or even his imprint on shoes, apparel, media attention, fame and so on and so forth. The most honorable though, and the greatest of these is his philanthropic excellence. The passing down of knowledge is crucial to our youth in today’s society. For a man of his stature to do it so articulately, puts him for me, extremely high in the “greatest of all time” conversation. Maybe even number one!!

 

When I first began my basketball program in 2016, one of the very first students I had was a young man by the name of Monjavid. This kid was truly a blessing to me! I knew in my initial meeting with Monjavid that he was a special young man. He was very shy and quiet. In his shyness, he’d turn his head away as he cut his eyes up at me, smiling from ear to ear. He brought joy to my evening meetings with him, because I knew what it meant for him to be there. Although I didn’t quite have a full understanding of what Monjavid’s emotional state was, as I didn’t make it a point to ask, I knew that there was something that made him unique.

What was undeniably evident, was that Monjavid could shoot the basketball extremely well. I mean, really well! I was amazed at the gift he had for putting the ball in the hoop. I showed him the form, and almost to a tee he could imitate exactly what I was showing him to do. I was extremely impressed that it was so easy for him. He was awesome!!!

It wasn’t until after our time together was complete, that I learned why Monjavid was such an amazing kid. His mother sent this to me, “… Because of you, my son, who is autistic, has come out of his shell this year during the basketball season. He was told by so many that he has an amazing talent when it comes to those long jump shots. Thanks to you and your classes, my son has only missed 4 out of I don’t know how many shots that he took this year. So again, thank you, and may you continue to succeed in all of your future endeavors.”

That letter touched my heart… After receiving that message, I had a much greater understanding as to why he could lock in with such intensity and shoot the basketball so exceptionally well. The repetitive nature of shooting the ball is what makes a great shooter, great!! For Monjavid, that was a gift he was blessed with at birth.

I am not naive to the fact that autism isn’t pretty. So many youth struggle with the day to day nature of this neurodevelopmental disorder. But I believe and have witnessed, that deep within those who are autistic there are extraordinary gift to be displayed. I could see Monjavid light up when he began to shoot at our lessons, there was stimulation there for him that he really loved. My encounter with him gave me an entirely new perspective. I’m just wondering how many more share this gift for shooting the basketball the way he does?

Saturday, April 28th from 4-6pm at First Baptist church on the corner of Washington and Taylor St (downtown Kokomo) I’m hosting a free basketball event for kids with autism. This will be a special opportunity to meet, and explore the gifts and talents of autistic children in basketball. I sure would love to meet so many of you who live in or around the Kokomo area. Thank you!!

To RSVP, or to receive more information, please email me at jcleebarnett@gmail.com..

 

When I look back, basketball is woven into an unbelievable portion of the fabric of my life. I can remember just like it was yesterday, hearing Jason Kidd’s name being called.. June 29, 1994 on my 9th birthday my parents gift to me were tickets to the NBA Draft. Look at me and all my siblings, man the 90’s lol.. Oh and in addition to Jason Kidd as one of the newest members of the HOF Grant Hill was a part of this draft class. Ha, look at the jersey I’m wearing, everybody knows who the man was back in the day Glenn Robinson (Big Dog). He too was was apart of this class and will one day be in the HOF. My brother in law growing up in Gary, Indiana watched Glenn grow up on the playground, literally. He said one summer he left home to go to camp and came back, he’d grown 6 inches between his sophomore and junior year of high school. When you have a love and a passion for something, look around you, ask questions. There are amazing, and pretty cool connections to what you love closer than you think..

 

 

 

 

There are so many people to compete with in this world, it’s truly difficult to set yourself apart. For instance, in academia, two people can graduate with nearly identical and equally as impressive resumes. Both having obtained a 4.0 gpa, nearly perfect standardized test scores, involved in multiple clubs and invested in community service. Those are all wonderful examples of being a leader and performing at a high level. But, if one of those persons were to include in their portfolio evidence of going an extra step further, that could be the difference between failure and achievement.

Twenty plus years in hoops, I’ve experienced many different aspects of the game. What seems to be at the forefront of my observations, simply because I have compassion and an eye for it, are the inequalities those of a certain build and physical stature face. Despite them having next level skill sets, the “eye test” just doesn’t seem to favor them as much as others. I’m not saying this is always the case, of course there are those who are exceptions to the rule. But I often ponder, how do more “little guys” have a chance to succeed at moving on to play college basketball and beyond? The answer I’ve found is that they must possess an undeniable ability to score the basketball. Being able to shoot the ball at an above average level, I believe, is the ticket.

On behalf of all the little guys of the world, I express that we’ve always had to be different and had to go the extra mile to achieve. It isn’t easy, and it never will be. The future that you wish to see come to fruition for yourself, must be attacked with great tenacity. In basketball I believe, that in offering tangible evidence of one’s ability to shoot the ball at an extraordinary level, it will move a kid who otherwise may have been overlooked, into a position of elite status.

In the process of creating my new degree program, I’d never had so much fun working so hard in my life!!! Obtaining my degrees in shooting the basketball was a journey that was filled with mostly triumph. Do not assume though that I didn’t encounter a few failures along the way myself, I most certainly did. Creating a degree schedule that was challenging yet attainable was tough. I questioned myself often, “is this too tough?”; “should I make this a little more difficult?”; “what is the value of this, do people even want to be challenged?” I find more so these days, people don’t see value in anything that will not get them to the next step in life. So, I commit to you this promise:

Dear Beloved Student,

I, JC Barnett III, commit to creating relationships necessary, networking and communicating with next level basketball people and organizations to make obtaining a, ‘Bachelors in Jump Shooting’, ‘Masters in Form and Technique’ and ‘Doctorate in Precision Jump Shooting’, worthwhile. I look forward to the honor of handing you your certificate of completion upon meeting the requirements necessary. You, as one of my exceptional group of students, will have a greater chance at playing next level basketball within the state of Indiana, and the country, for believing in yourself enough to obtain a degree from the JC Barnett School of Jump Shooting. Sincerely, I thank you in advance.

Best Regards,

JC Barnett III