Special Thanks to Steven Counts

As the Editor and Chief of Bounce Magazine, creator of the Nike-sponsored Chain Link Fundamentals and 20-year advocate for free youth sponsored training and conditioning sessions through the Jim Couch Foundation, I’m into training. I sent Steven Counts to interview Elite 24 alum Tyreke Evans and ask him about the importance of year-round training at a photo shoot for Queen Latifah’s new VBlast vitamin water, VBee multi-vitamin water for kids, and Aqua84 enhanced mineral water.

The Flava Unit Entertainment venture under the New York Spring Water Label is a big deal for Tyreke whose workout attitude is legendary – one that moved him up in the 2009 draft to the fourth position because he didn’t back away from competing against the top guards in individual sessions, displaying the I’ll bust your butt” attitude that makes him a #upandcoming NBA All-Star. Read More »

Lunden A. Taylor – Chicago’s new “Shorty Rock”

The “shorty rock” is the kid that embodies the neighborhood in a way that shows its entire basketball culture. Kenny “Chibbs” Anderson, Rafer “Skip to My Lou” Alston and Rod “King of the Reverse Lay Up” Strickland of NYC were baby face killers on the playgrounds while Compton’s Brandon “Takeover” Jennings and DeMar “I dunked in 6th grade” DeRozan from LA’s hardcourt set were little og’s who balled hard with skill – kids with handle and game that became #legendary. That spirit has now morphed to a combination of workout gym fever dashed with games played against older comp in aau and playground comp and the results are phenomenal.

#upandcoming shorty rock Richie Thompson at 10 years of age came down from Ontario, Canada to show fastbreak game against some of the best players in the United States at the Middle School Elite Camp last month at Fordham University. 15 year old Ashli Jeune and her 14 year old sister Aliyah are #upandcoming players with the Gauchos AAU program, and they outworked many of the boys in their respective age groups at the camp, while 11 year old Lunden Taylor came with his mother, Dionne, an aspiring NBA agent, to show his near NBA 3-point range. Read More »