I have just returned from my 5th trip to Colombia in the last 4 years. This trip was to Manizales, where along with former National Team Coach, Guillermo Moreno, we conducted a 3 day clinic for 25 players and over 40 coaches.
I always enjoy my trips to Colombia and the trip to Manizales was no different. It is a large city, nestled in the mountains, about a 30-minute flight northwest of Bogota. It is in the heart of coffee country and is the legendary home of coffee producer, Juan Valdez.
Colombia has a small but very passionate basketball culture. Feeling they are always fighting against the soccer (football) culture, they are willing to buck the tide and gobble up all the basketball they are able to.
The clinic schedule was an intense one, running from 8 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday and thru to 1 pm on Monday. I worked with offensive fundamentals while Guillermo handled the defensive side.
The players were very eager and worked very hard for the weekend. I speak very little Spanish and the Spanish that I do speak is spoken badly and I am sure some things come out that are inappropriate, but once again, basketball proved to be a universal language. On the court, we had no trouble communicating. I am quite sure that was not the case once we left the court.
I am especially impressed by the stamina of the players. I travel quite a bit and I encounter all types of facilities. Usually I am happy when the gym has a roof. If it has walls, that is a plus. In Manizales, we had a very nice facility but, as standard, the floor was concrete. Regardless of what you are used to, 10 hours of running up and down a cement floor has to take its toll on the legs. The players did not let that get in the way. They worked hard, worked well and I think we all thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.
For more information on Don Kelbick, visit www.DonKelbickBasketball.com
Question…..The ball hit the top bounced one more time at the top of the board and rolled…and came back…hit the rim…Is that ball dead..out…or is it has to go over to be out of bounds???
Good that you are bringing the game of basketball and your experience to Colombia….we can have a good future Colombian basketball team…
Good article I must say? I am looking at doing some coaching in Latin America & Colombia would be a good a start. I would also like to play for a team in Latin America?