Twenty-five players made the trek to Las Vegas, Nevada recently for a chance to star at the LeBron James Skills Academy. Among them were two local players in Missouri point guard Phil Pressey and Kansas big man Jeff Withey. It was an honor for both to get chosen and a strong chance to develop their hopes to play at the professional level, especially considering the chosen company included Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly from Duke and Tim Hardaway, Jr. from Michigan.
The camp gives players a chance to show off in front of NBA scouts and media members as well as the ability to work with James among others to hone their games even further. It's a great stop for a player prepping for a breakout season.
"It just gives you an opportunity to see where other top guys in the country are at," Pressey said. "But at the same time it gives you an opportunity to feel that you can't get comfortable. You've got to keep working because there's guys all over the country who are just as good at small schools that you've never even heard about.
"I go into every drill trying to beat whoever I'm going against," Pressey continued, "because I know those are guys I'm going to be going against whenever I'm trying to go to the next level or whatnot. I know that they feel they're better than me. They're going to go at me the same way, so I feel like I should do the same."