It takes dedication, hard work and determination to be an athlete. Athleticism is not something that happens over night, but it definitely takes talent and hard work to show natural ability in a sport. Amongst 11 other players from the area, Matt Klinewski and Cherry Hill’s Team Speed returned from the Nike World Championship tournament at the Mirage Cason in Las Vegas.
The team walked away from the championship with 13 wins and five losses, taking the third spot out of 164 teams in its age group.
During the World Championship, the team managed to stay focused on the court and played more games then the average team.
“When you watch them play a lot of teams, [our opponents] might be better than us and might have more athletic ability, but as the game goes on to the third and fourth quarter, [Team Speed doesn’t] get tired,” head C=coach Robert DePersia said.
Team Speed is a 16-U travel basketball team with players from the South Jersey area. The team ended their season with 45 wins and 10 losses, winning nine tournament championship games. Team Speed added the successful Las Vegas trip to its accomplishments.
Matt Klinewski, the 6’9” forward and a junior at Eastern High School, has a ranking of his own. He may sit at the twenty-second spot in the NJ Hoops top 100 for Juniors, but is ranked second from all players in the South Jersey area.
DePersia mentioned that having a team that is recognized for its ability against national teams is “incredible.”
Team Speed, represents Cherry Hill, but the players are from different areas within South Jersey.
Surrounded by major metropolitan teams, Team Speed managed to squeeze into the third seat, said DePersia.
DePersia mentioned how peculiar and astonishing it was to have a team from Cherry Hill playing against teams from major metropolitan areas.
“They are just that good,” DePersia said.
This type of skill doesn’t happen over night, said DePersia.
DePersia mentioned that most of the players on the team are four sport stars in their town. He said the Klinewski used to figure skate when he was younger and he was a champion figure skater.
The other sports that the boys played help with the player’s basketball ability, but DePersia doesn’t base the player’s abilities in other sports to basketball. Training sessions run on and off-season and the boys are always practicing basketball, said DePersia.
Each training session combines various training modules, to help an all-around development, but the major focus is on the speed and agility training.
The training schedule for these young athletes consists of intensive speed and agility training, core training, weight training and stamina improvement. According to DePersia, core training takes place three days out of the week, one hour and 15 minutes per day.
From November to March, the guys practice for Team Speeds around the school’s schedule while the other eight months are used for strictly Team Speed practices, said DePersia.
DePersia stressed the academic importance for the team. The program is not there to create a basketball player; each player needs to be a well-rounded individual, said DePersia.
“Every body in our program takes honors classes,” said DePersia. “Everyone of them is college admitable.”
Combining academic scores with their talent on the courts helps with the college applications.
Team Speed’s assistant coach and academic advisor, Dr. Earl Pearsall, makes sure that the boys are keeping up with their academics while they are off the courts.
According to DePersia, Pearsall mentors the players to make sure they can get into a college that is suitable for their playing position and academic standing.
Bishop Joseph Roberts, an advisor for the team, brings the spiritual and inspirational encouragement to the team.
“It’s really good to have a figure that makes sure the kids present themselves in the right way,” DePersia said.
