GRIND Basketball Guam, spearheaded by owner Morgan Hikaru Aiken VI, successfully hosted a two-day training camp for the second consecutive year at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on July 8 and 9.
Aiken, a former Japanese-American professional basketball player and the first Guam high school graduate to sign a professional contract to play overseas, led 20 participants (boys and girls) through two days of intensive training in hopes of passing on his knowledge and experience to the next generation.
“After the first year, it was something I really wanted to come back and do again, just because Guam is such a small island — just like Saipan — where we don’t have the most resources, especially when we’re competing against people in the States,” said Aiken. “From everything I’ve learned and experienced, I’m trying my best to kind of ‘knowledge them’— to pour that knowledge into everybody — so they have a fighting chance, wherever they go and whatever they pursue in their basketball careers,” he added.
On July 8, the camp’s focus was on changing directions efficiently at all levels of play — whether coming off a crossover, between the legs, behind the back, or a spin move. “It’s about being able to dribble efficiently and read and react with the ball,” Aiken said.
The reason behind Aiken and Grind Basketball Guam’s annual return to host camps in the CNMI stems from the lack of opportunities available in Guam, Saipan, and the rest of the region. “I never had the privilege — not even to go to the States, let alone attend basketball camps,” he shared. “So it was one of those situations where my mom would drop me off at the gym, and I’d be there for six to seven hours.”
“This is my way of giving back as much as I can to athletes. And because it’s only a 30-minute flight from Guam to Saipan — why not? If I can share the knowledge I’ve learned, I will.”
After completing the first day of camp, Aiken observed that the athletes in Saipan are highly skilled. “Everybody’s in the gym training, practicing, playing all the time, but there are a lot of things I didn’t learn until I went to the professional league and started picking up on the details,” Aiken said. “Whether we’re doing the same drills, the focus within each one matters — body placement, eye movement, vision — all those details. I didn’t learn that until I got to the B.League in Japan, and that’s something I really wanted to share.”
Day two of the camp focused on “finishing packages” — teaching players how to avoid getting stuck and how to create multiple ways to finish and score around the basket.
When asked what advice he would give to young players, Aiken replied, “I would say self-confidence is the biggest one. Whether you do good or bad, you’re going out there to do your best. I know that sounds simple and everyone says that, but if you gave it your all, there’s no reason to regret anything — because you gave it your best.”
Morgan Hikaru Aiken IV (not VI as earlier reported), owner of Grind Basketball Guam, executes drills with participants of the two-day Saipan Training Camp held on July 8 and 9 at the Ada gym.
