Florida IMG Academy High School Finds Ways To Use "Distance Education" For Sports And Schoolwork

Editor's note: IMG Academy is a private boarding school specializing in training boys and girls in a wide variety of sports, including basketball, tennis, baseball and soccer. He grew up from the original Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, which helped produce Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi.

As with most American high schools. In the U.S., IMG Academy saw its winter sports season come to an abrupt end before the finish line and its spring sports season ended just after a start. She was also forced to convert her university courses to "distance learning" online.

However, by its very nature, IMG takes a different approach to sport. So even though their seasons ended after the campuses were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to continue training academy athletes was not.

Today director of the IMG Academy basketball camp, Victoria Sun has been a sports reporter for a decade in California, Las Vegas and Cincinnati. She used her journalistic training and her unique vision of the IMG program to explain the unusual way IMG handles the closing of this play for Sporting News.

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BRADENTON, Florida – Every day at 4 p.m., IMG Academy college basketball coach Jennifer Sepielli jumps on a FaceTime call with her team.

Regardless of the distance and the time zones that separate them, the players are all inside. It’s a close team but, for the moment, not geographically.

Mathilde Sorenson comes from Denmark, Laurie Calixte composes from Quebec. Mara Ochoa Contreras calls from Mexico. Shae Mercer jumps from Texas. It is the best option to be physically together in the gym, and being together in the gym is not an option due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

"I just think it keeps them connected," said Sepielli, in his fifth season at IMG. “It kept them together, it gave them a feeling of normal life.

"I know everyone was excited about the daily FaceTime call so they could meet in a group." What happens in being on a team, nothing can replace this bond with your teammates. "

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For more than a month, most IMG Academy students have been separated since the coronavirus became a global pandemic and schools have been forced to make drastic changes. During the spring break, parents were informed that students would not be allowed to return to campus and the school switched to a distance learning platform which started on March 30.

When teachers started preparing online lessons, the athletics department recognized the need to keep coaches and players active during this unprecedented period of social distancing and flattening of the curve. As a result, each of the eight sports directors of the IMG Academy has been given the task of creating a distance sports education program that their coaches could offer via the CoachNow online application. .

In less than two weeks, IMG Academy basketball director Brian Nash consulted with staff and coaches to produce basketball content for the school's 14 basketball teams. It was a natural progression for the sport-based boarding school which attracts student-athletes from around the world.

"We had to develop a detailed program in a short time to help the children continue their personal, individual, mental and basketball growth," said Nash, in his fourth year at IMG. "We believe that at IMG Academy we are pioneers, and it is something we could do that no one else would provide to its student athletes. So we felt it was really important. "

Each Sunday through Thursday, coaches post a video on the CoachNow app on topics such as area attack, play, and attack pressure defense. At first, the videos focused on team concepts before moving on to individual improvement. To keep players engaged, many coaches have become creative by incorporating college and NBA clips and filming themselves in their homes using stuffed animals and other props to demonstrate the games.

Student athletes are invited to answer questions or submit a video response related to the concept the next day. Inside the coaching station is a video from the technical director of Nash or IMG Academy Basketball, Mike Gillian; There are optional training courses for those who can enter the field and modified versions for those who cannot.

To mimic the programming that players would receive at school, IMG Strength and Conditioning staff provide student athletes with optional training that they can perform at home, while sports and of Personal Development provides videos on nutrition, mental health and leadership. In addition, notable former players from the IMG Academy and other IMG supporters, such as presenter Dick Vitale and professional football Hall of Fame member Deion Sanders, contributed to motivational videos that have been shared.

"From a basketball learning perspective, the videos are excellent," said Morgan Hough, one of two seniors on the Sepielli team. "It makes me think of the game in different ways, even if it is not the same as being on the field."

"We are definitely doing more film studies and getting more information than ever."

Initially, the innovative and interactive basketball program was scheduled to last until April 20, but will remain in effect until the end of the school year. Due to stay-at-home mandates, worldwide travel restrictions, and security concerns, a group of about 10 players were left in their dorms, while 160 other basketball program players ball must remain outside the Campus.

Moussa Diabate, classified in the top 20 of the 2021 promotion Due to various recruiting services, she decided not to return to her home in Paris during the spring break in order to train at school. Each morning, the 6 to 10 year old boy spends about an hour handling the ball, making between 500 and 1,000 shots, and then participating in training with Middle School Blue coach Jesse Edwards. With people from around the world confined to their homes, Diabate found comfort in the gym.

"I am happy and thankful," said Diabate. "It sounds strange, but it's as if we are the chosen ones because we're the only ones who can access the gym at the moment." So I think this is a great opportunity to improve. "

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Edwards, a former player and a graduate of the IMG Academy, enjoys being able to continue training Diabaté and the other players on campus without being able to be with his own team, which ended the 30-0 season. Edwards conducts training via Zoom so that his players can participate when possible. To keep their team together, they have online PlayStation battles and regularly use FaceTime and Snapchat.

"I miss everything," said Edwards, who is in his seventh season at IMG. "The interaction room, the time face to face, being physically able to see them working and improving."

"The familiar room, watching them laugh and joke with each other."

Edwards players have been very receptive to the online program and often ask that I send them more movies to digest. He believes that the online basketball distance learning program has been most beneficial for players in his age group and has helped increase his understanding of the game.

"Now you have to think, use your mind and your basketball IQ will improve," said Edwards. "In eighth grade, by breaking down the film, my children will certainly be ahead of the curve."

Identifying a positive conclusion from this uncertain period has been difficult for others. The appearance of COVID-19 deprived the national children's team of the IMG Academy of the opportunity to defend their championship GEICO Nationals High School and high school seniors from the opportunity to live traditional activities, including prom, high jump day and graduation ceremonies.

Under normal circumstances at this time of year, the practices focus on developing individual skills, bodybuilding and preparing for the AUA or exhibition events.

National team head coach Sean McAloon regrets that the season ended so abruptly and that he could not finish helping his superiors prepare for their academic career. Jaden Springer travels to the University of Tennessee, Mark Williams heads to Duke, Matthew Murrell goes to Ole Miss and Zach Edey signed with Purdue.

"I hope the kids have received the love and passion for the game they should have so they can't do the things they love," said McAloon. "From all of this, I hope you have recovered and understood how much you love basketball.

"I never wanted to be in the gym that bad, so I hope you understand how special it is to be able to go to the gym and train with your teammates."