Former Duke, NBA star Christian Laettner to host clinic, speak at event this weekend at Yorkville Christian

Christian Laettner has a challenge for young basketball players learning to play against fullcourt pressure.

Don’t dribble.

“They have to learn to catch and pass and move and cut and pivot. Young players, they forget that they are allowed to pivot. They can come to a jump stop, strong to the ball and pivot,” Laettner said. “They need to learn those necessary fundamental skills to be a good basketball player and not rely on the dribble so much.”

Laettner’s are words of wisdom from a guy who should know.

He had one of the most decorated careers in NCAA basketball history, leading Duke to national championships in 1991 and 1992, and played in four Final Fours. Laettner was the only collegian on the 1992 gold medal-winning Olympic “Dream Team,” was the third overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1992 NBA Draft and went on to a 13-year NBA career, making one All-Star appearance.

Since 2010, he’s done well over 100 youth basketball camps across the country. And on Saturday, he’ll be back at Yorkville Christian to host an event for boys and girls from second grade through 12th grade.

Laettner said that some of the fundamentals he stresses are hard to teach these days.

“Everybody thinks they are Steph Curry. They want to do step-back 3-pointers and dribble the ball immediately,” Laettner said. “Every young player has to learn that it’s a process. Slow down, catch and face, use your pivot. When you’re older we’ll let you dribble right away. When you’re young and the defense is pressing you, you need to learn to play without relying on the dribble so much.”

“Catch and face” was a lesson that Laettner’s dad hammered home when he coached Laettner from grades 3-8 growing up in upstate New York. It’s an idea that legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski reinforced time and again.

“The thing my dad used to yell was catch and face, don’t use your dribble right away,” Laettner said. “You get stuck and pick up your dribble, and then you are really stuck.

“I like to tell people all the time, you commit to Duke, first practice Coach K says catch and face, don’t dribble right away. Then you realize how important it is.”

Laettner’s second lesson to youngsters is to get good at doing two-footed power layups.

“Not every layup can be off one foot. Jump stop to two feet, you can shot fake, you can pass and you can pivot,” Laettner said. “I try to stress the idea of the two-footed power layup.”

Laettner said fundamentals such as those are just not taught enough. His dad learned from long-time NBA coach Frank Layden at camps at Niagara University and coached elementary school basketball.

“Watch 10-, 12-year old kids now and they’re jacking up 3-pointers and maybe making one out of 30,” Laettner said. “That’s not what the game is about. When you’re younger, get layups, go into the lane, make the defense collapse, then we’ll let you shoot 3s. Let’s learn fundamental concepts first.”

Laettner, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, said the number of camps he conducts have slowed down as he gets older. Most of the camps he does are around Buffalo, where he grew up, but he also gets great response from Midwestern states like Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin through his time in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“It’s so much fun,” he said. “There is so much reward when you see kids play the right way in terms of those skills developed when they were young.”

Laettner, in his collegiate playing days, was one of the most well-known and clutch players in the country. He hit what many consider the greatest shot in college basketball history in the 1992 East Regional final, a game-winning turnaround buzzer-beater to defeat Kentucky in overtime.

Those moments are a generation ago, but Laettner said kids by the second day of camp are usually familiarized with his playing history.

“Whenever they ask me questions about my playing days I tell them to go on YouTube and watch the old black and white videos,” Laettner said. “On Monday morning they have no idea who I am. By Tuesday when they get their parents to show them videos on YouTube they look at me differently.”

• Laettner will be running youth basketball camps on Saturday and also speaking at the school’s fundraising event in the evening.

The camp will operate in two sessions. Boys and girls grades 1-6 will play from 9 until 11 a.m., while grades 7-12 will play from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Each camper will receive a shirt and an autograph from Laettner.

Yorkville Christian’s Impact of Sports Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. The dinner will celebrate the first 10 years of the school’s athletics and will feature Laettner as the guest speaker. Each ticket purchased includes dinner and a meet and greet with Laettner.

To register your camper and/or purchase tickets for the dinner, please visit: https://yorkvillechristian.com/yorkville-christian-10-year-celebration/