Several junior high players from Norwood, MO are working with trainers at The Basketball Movement and the results are starting to show.

At what can be a pivotal stage of basketball development, the young men of Norwood Junior High are rolling through their competition. There is much to be said about the squad, but we would be remiss to not brag about one common denominator among the athletes responsible - their work right here at The Basketball Movement.

The lights are bright this season for all of the Division I prospects over at Kickapoo High that workout with us. However, it needs to be made loud and clear that no matter the school or program size, big leaps forward can be taken on the court. It takes hard work, and that is exactly what the young Norwood Pirates have been putting in… Work.

Levi McDaris, who does a bit of coaching and has coached their traveling teams says that seven of their eight “A-Team” players have been coming in for workouts. “They’ve been at it for about 20 months,” McDaris says. “After about six months in, there was a huge difference in each of their personal development.” McDaris continues by saying that after about a year and a half, their skills far exceed average players from the area.

Norwood is about 56 miles from The Basketball Movement facility. Someone that knows a thing or two about making the trip from that direction is Missouri State signee, Isaac Haney and his family who lived in Dora, MO for a long time. That was where the contact came from.

After becoming a MSHSAA affiliate three years ago, 5th and 6th graders in Norwood can play up to junior high. For such a small school, this can be a big help since there may be less than a dozen seventh and eighth graders willing to play. 7th and 8th make up the A-Team, while 5th and 6th make up the B. This also means that Norwood gets to play more games each season.

The ability to gain more experience in addition to the work with The Basketball Movement has helped Norwood hoops to explode on the scene.

“We are 22 and 1 right now,” McDaris says. “The one loss was to Ava after we were coming off an extended break. We have been averaging about 65 points per game and have held all local schools to about 32 points on average.”

As is often the case with smaller schools, Norwood’s only issue is size. “We have all guards,” McDaris says. “We can’t afford to take any games off because we have to scrap and play hard all the time. We really rely on outside shooting and some nights, the shots aren’t falling.”

Those shots have been getting prettier and prettier as the young athletes’ time at The Basketball Movement has grown. “Even the kids you may not expect - working at The Basketball Movement has made each player’s fundamentals so sound,” McDaris says. “Each kid gets it.”

“The way I would explain The Basketball Movement is that it is 100 percent basketball,” McDaris continues. “Everything is based on the fundamentals with an emphasis on each player playing to their strengths, no matter the role. They use repetition done right. It is pure basketball.”

The Norwood Pirates are having a strong season and the pipeline for Norwood High is going to mean a bright future for the little town’s hoop hopes. Any player, any team can take leaps forward on the court if they understand what it takes and are willing to get better. The Basketball Movement can help.

Good luck to these young men finishing up their season - Go Pirates!