EHS Cardinal Migrates West

by Sydney Shain

This summer, while most EHS students were enjoying the freedom and piling barbecue on plates, soph. Mitchell Ballock was taking advantage of the open doors and opportunities on his. Students were making preparations for Fourth of July parties, and Ballock was just returning from Stephen Curry’s SC30 Select Camp in California.

At the end of June, twenty of the top high school guards from around the world gathered in the Bay Area for an intensive four-day camp coached and staffed by Dell Curry, Fran Fraschilla, Stephen Curry, and a number of the country’s most successful high school coaches and trainers. Athletes invited included Eudora’s own Mitchell Ballock, along with other players from the United States, Belgium, and China. Attending this invitation-only elite camp was a tremendous honor for everyone involved.

“I was very excited to get the invitation…I was very thankful and fortunate to have gotten the opportunity,” Ballock remarks.

The camp itself is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that Ballock won’t soon forget. On the subject of the connections he made during camp, Mitchell comments, “I met a lot of different people while I was there. I met guys like Derryck Thornton, Mustapha Heron, and Terrance Ferguson. I also met Steph and his dad Dell Curry.”

Not only did Ballock meet up with a wide range of great basketball players, but the  experience has also opened other doors for him. Winning the award for best shooter at the camp gave him the opportunity to compete and place second in a three-point shootout in the Under Armour Basketball Elite 24 game in New York on August 23rd. Days before that, he was offered a scholarship opportunity from Bill Self at The University of Kansas.

Although he personally benefited greatly, his experiences should benefit the EHS basketball team as well. Something that stands out to Ballock that he plans to carry on through the season is the use of video analysis.

“I learned that film sessions are very important so you can break down your game and work on what you’re doing wrong. Overall, film sessions are a big part of the game that will take you to the next level,” Mitchell explains.

Even though the camp was only four days long, the connections he made with both coaches and other athletes, along with the aspects of the game that he improved on, will surely affect his career significantly and last a lifetime.