First up was the High Intensity Skills Clinic of the Warriors Basketball Camp. We had loads of fun learning from our coaches and interacting with the other players from the local area. Everyone had to line up before the clinic started to register. This was a very good oppurtunity to meet and socialize with the other players. I remembered one of my teammates, Erlance, telling me how he was attracted to one of the female campers but that he was shy at first to go talk to her. But on the serious side, we were filled with much anticipation and excitement waiting for the clinic to start.

At first, they had everyone shoot around and get the feel for the court. After a couple of minutes, the Warriors youth basketball director blew the whistle and everyone sat in rows on the court. We were surprised to see one of the 50 greatest NBA players –- Chris Mullin, who is the Warriors General Manager. He talked to us about how having the proper work ethic can help you become a successful basketball player and can also help you lead in life.

We started the camp with a series of very unusual warm-ups. We were able to learn warm-up drills that were alien to us, as compared to our training back home in the Philippines. They were tiring because they involved combinations of sprints and defensive slides and it really got us going from the start. After that, it was basketball 101 from the Camp director Coach Jeff Addiego and the other coaches. They taught us all about the fundamentals: Dribbling, 1-on-1 moves, Moving without the ball, and Defense. Everybody was able to get to hang out with one other and really have fun doing the drills together. Erlance was finally even able to talk to the girl. Haha!

After the basic drills, we watched a short video presentation of some of the great NBA players such as Gilbert Arenas, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade, and how they were able to be who they are today. After that, it was time to put together and apply everything we learned on the court and play 5-on-5, the real basketball. It was both a fun-filled and a breath-taking camp (it was so tiring, we had trouble breathing!) It was a really good experience for all of us to be able to meet our peers from America and to learn from the best. But it was time to hit the lockers and get ready for the Arena tour.

We were very lucky enough to be able to tour around the Oracle Arena and see what was happening behind the scenes as the Warriors prepared to play the Los Angeles Clippers. We were able to see some of the Warriors up-close-and-personal and we were also able to get autographs from the Warriors’ Austin Croshere and Andris Biedrins. Isn’t That Awesome?!? I was amazed to see and hear some of the crazy and die-hard fans of the Warriors. After walking around the Arena, it was time to get ready for the big event: the must-win game between the Warriors and the Clippers. This was going to be a Hoot!