What is Matrix Fall Team Camp (“Matrix FTC”)?                
Matrix  FTC is a three-week camp for returning Matrix players and players interested training with Matrix coaches and possibly playing for the Matrix in the future.  Working with their Matrix teammates and coaches, players attending Matrix FTC will be developing their game by focusing on the following areas: 

• Skills Development – developing individual player skills (1 hour, 15 minutes) 
• “Matrix Madness” – the term we created to describe unsupervised play by players, emphasizing 3x3 games in both half court and full (short) court (45 minutes) 

Matrix FTC is designed to provide skills training for players wanting to improve their all-around basketball skills in advance of Fall tryouts and the upcoming fall-winter season and to give our players the chance to “just play”.   

We’ve added the Matrix Madness component to Matrix FTC for 2010 as we think players, especially female players, don’t get enough opportunity to play unstructured basketball and so Matrix Madness will give our Matrix players a chance to “just play!”

We strongly encourage all our returning Matrix players in Grades 5-8 to participate in Matrix Fall Team Camp; players in Grades 5-8 not currently playing for the Matrix are also eligible and are encouraged to attend Matrix FTC. 

Players that are selected to the Matrix 3rd-4th Grade Fall/Winter team on September 11 will also be eligible for Matrix FTC and can register at the door at the first session on September 12 for the $40 price.  Click here to see information about tryouts for the Matrix 3rd-4th Grade Fall/Winter team.   

Matrix FTC will be held on three Sundays, from September 12 through September 26.   

Click here to register now for Matrix FTC.   

Matrix FTC is Team Based; New Players Welcome 

Matrix Fall Team Camp will have five separate sessions each of the three Sundays, with separate sessions by age group, with a “make-up” session at the end of each of the three days for players that had a scheduling conflict during their age group’s session.   

At each session, the Black team (Division 1 National team) coach of the age group will lead the session, supported by the other Matrix coaches for the age group.  In most cases, players will work closely with their teammates from the prior season.  Matrix coaches from other teams will work with the teams’ coaches so that players are getting lots of reps and assistance with developing their skills.

The Black team coaches leading each group are as follows:
 

Players that were not on a 2010 Matrix team are strongly encouraged to attend if they are interested in joining or learning more about the Matrix. 

In most cases, the team’s coach for the upcoming 2011 AAU season will work with the team and to keep the player-to-coach ratio low. If no coach has been assigned for the team for the 2011 season, other Matrix coaches will take the lead with a team.   

Matrix Coaches Looking for Players to Add for Fall/Winter Teams

The Matrix will be fielding a number teams to compete in a “Lite” Fall/Winter schedule this year and Matrix FTC is an excellent opportunity for players to be seen by the coaches of these teams.   

Most Black (Division 1) team coaches will be looking to add players for Fall/Winter league as we carry expanded rosters for fall/winter due to potential conflicts and the “lite” nature of the fall/winter team.  The Black team coaches will be closely watching the players at Matrix FTC for possible candidates to add to their teams.

Components of the Matrix FTC: 

Skills development.  Some of the skills and activities to be included in the skills development portion of Matrix FTC include: 

·         Ball handling 

·         Passing 

·         Shooting, with emphasis on footwork 

·         Rebounding and defense  

·         Footwork and conditioning 

·         Offensive moves 

Matrix Madness.  Matrix Madness will focus on “small-sided” play designed to give players more touches of the ball in unstructured play.   

Approximately half the time will be spent playing half court 3x3 (4 games at a time) and other half of the time will be 3x3 full court, going side-to-side (2 games at a time).   

Since this is designed to be unstructured play, girls will call their own fouls and play their own games.  Our Matrix coaches may interject concepts or teaching points on occasion, but for the most part, we’re going to let them “Just Play.”   

Parents are welcome to watch Matrix Madness.  However, there will be a strict NO COACHING/NO INSTRUCTIONS from the sidelines rule.  This is unstructured play and the girls need to be on their own for this.  Thank you.   

Dates, Times and Location of Matrix FTC 

Matrix FTC will be held at the following locations on the following dates (click on location for directions to the facility):
.  September 12 at Wakefield HS in Arlington 

.  September 19 at McLean HS in McLean 

.  September 26 at Luther Jackson MS in Falls Church

The session times for each Sunday are listed below: 
 

* Times overlap as we will be using both gyms at the schools.  Also, time slots do change for the age groups each week, in an effort to avoid some conflicts with other Sunday activities for our coaches.

** Note:  If you have a scheduling conflict for your session, you can always attend the make-up session.  We’ll break into subgroups based on age/skill level for both the training and Matrix Madness sections of Matrix FTC. 

Cost and Registration 

The team fee for a player to participate in the the Matrix Fall Team Camp is $40 for the three days.  Click here to register online.  When registering, make sure you select, “Matrix FTC.”   

Online registration closes on September 11 at 11:59 PM.  If you register in person on September 12, the fee is $55.      

 

Last Updated:  Monday, August 30, 2010.