Alumni ‘s life after their Youth Basketball Career
Riley Schroeder
Leadership, such a powerful thing, to have the ability to influence people heavily and ultimately help them grow for the best. That was Riley Schroeder’s experience at OGP Anaheim being surrounded by great leaders. Riley is a senior at Colorado School of Mines studying Mechanical Engineering also playing basketball for them. Riley emphasizes that Coach Daniel and OGP played a pivotal role in his development as a youth basketball player in maximizing his skills on both sides of the ball. Some of Riley’s accomplishments at OGP are being 1st team All league in 2018, Scholar Athlete Award, 2nd in League in rebounding and 4th in scoring, just to name a few. However, one of his biggest takeaways from Coach Daniel Smith is how to dig deep in moments that matter most and how that separates good players from great players.
Coach Daniel Smith instilled skills in Riley that would take him to new heights into his college basketball career but also in his off the court young adult life. Two Important Skills he attained during his time at OGP were leadership, and effective communication. Those would help him be set up for success at career fairs, and job opportunities. Out of all of those skills he learned, leadership hit him the most as a senior; his teammates look to him to make decisions on the court and lead the team to victory.
Riley Schroeder states, “For everyone who’s interested in checking out OGP, I would really give it a chance because coach Daniel Smith and Bill really instilled in me work ethic on the court to become a better basketball player and also off the court become a better man”. OGP priority is to enhance the experience of youth sports for all kids and for them to see a successful future.
Charlie Lee
Charlie Lee is a college graduate from Cal Lutheran University. In his time at Cal Lutheran he was an elite basketball player. His biggest highlights were him shooting 100 percent from the free throw line in back to back seasons, and also being a part of CLU Scholar Society-Athlete Society. All great athletes have humble beginnings. Charlie’s start was at OGP Anaheim, his role model/Coach, Miguel Bennett taught him the important fundamentals of basketball, such as knowing how to play team basketball and how to think like an elite college basketball player.
Charlie’s biggest takeaway was the importance of defense and how it is an important key to be a great basketball player. In basketball, patience is key when building your craft and knowing it’s going to take time and a lot of effort. Charlie attained that understanding as he knew what it was going to take to be a starter and to get playing time at a college level. He was also able to learn what high school and college coaches were looking for during his time at OGP and used it for his own success.
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Overall, Charlie’s time playing basketball in Orange County for OGP was a major growth period in his life on and off the court. He learned the importance of pushing yourself to be a better player and a better person. Charlie’s opinion on players looking to join an elite basketball team in Orange County is that,
“It’s a great opportunity to take in order to learn how to play ball and work hard.”
Bryant Howing
Bryant Howing’s Life has really come full circle and a big part of that circle is OGP. Bryant grew up playing basketball for OGP and his passion for the sport would continue to grow as he moved on into adulthood. During Bryant’s time as a player at OGP he had some significant role models that enhanced his gameplay. In the young stages of his basketball career coach Miguel Bennett played a pivotal role, as Coach Bennett would spark Bryant’s love for the game of basketball, and taught him the fundamentals of basketball that would become his foundation of the game. As Bryant would enter into his highschool years another coach came along named Coach Rich Brown helped him understand the game better and really developed my IQ and shooting ability.
But overall according to Bryant, “Both coaches taught me the importance of hard work and dedication and are still mentors to me now as a coach.”
Even after Bryants playing basketball career was over, he still carries the wisdom of his coaches and applies it in everyday life. Today Bryant is a coach for OGP Fullerton passing down his knowledge and wisdom to the next generation of basketball players in Orange County. Bryants overall experience at OGP is a great one as the high level coaches, the great facilities and the abundant amount of opportunities to get better were the key components of becoming an elite player. His biggest takeaway from his OGP experience is that anything is attainable if you show up everyday and put the work in.
Bryants message to any player considering OGP is to try it out and give it your all ,and that OGP is a family that wants everyone around them to succeed.