Later this morning I will land in Las Vegas, Nevada for the first time.

I won’t be there to vacation or to gamble.

I’ll be there for Impact Basketball’s Competitive Training Series, which is a league featuring games with up to 60 current NBA players!

I’m going because I LOVE the game of basketball!

I’m going so that I can spread the mevsMJ.com word!

I’m going and I will challenge some NBA players to a game of 1-on-1!

I’m going so the pros can get a good up close look at the guy that WILL play Michael Jordan!

Be sure to check Twitter and the mevsMJ.com Facebook page for updates throughout the week and expect a full report when I return!

The journey of me vs. Michael Jordan continues!  Thanks for following along!

####

Here is some action from week 1 (Video):

httpvh://youtu.be/lGBInMzQ8cQ

I had just finished my final Impact Basketball workout on Saturday morning.

I thought about where I was just eleven months ago.  How I didn’t exercise.  How I had basically given up the game of hoops.  How I too often found myself searching for something more.

I couldn’t help but smile thinking about how far I’ve come.  How I’ve run over 500 miles this year.  How I’m in the best shape of my life.  How I began this journey on me vs. MJ.  How I just completed a week of the most intense and revitalizing basketball training of my life at Impact Basketball.

Life can be so unbelievably amazing if you allow it to be.

Impact Basketball

My time at Impact was truly one of the best weeks of my life.

Every day, every session, was a new adventure that I couldn’t wait to tackle.

Even following Friday evening’s workout, where I stood on the court wondering if my last meal would soon be all over the hardwood floor (will have video soon), I couldn’t wait to come back Saturday morning.

I absolutely LOVED every single moment of the experience.

A VERY BIG Thank You!

I can’t thank Matt Hiller of Impact Basketball enough for believing in my mevsMJ dream of playing Michael Jordan and for making all of this happen.  On top of the World class training he provided me, he is one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.  He didn’t treat me like a client, he treated me like a brother.

It was so refreshing to be around someone that is so passionate about what they do.  He is without a doubt doing what he is called to do.

I half jokingly told him that when I play MJ, he has to be there! Without a second thought he responded, “I’m there! You tell me when, and I’m there!”

I feel so extremely blessed!

Thanks Matt!

The Players and the Rest of the Crew

Gotta give a shout out to all the post grad and high school players at Impact!  Thanks for being supportive as well and for inspiring me to get better!  I pray that each of you make the most of your great opportunity and push forward each day with every ounce of your ability.

I can’t wait to see you guys play again when you come to Orlando!

Also wanna thank everyone else at Impact who helped me stretch, train, rebounded balls for me or filmed me during practice.  Much appreciated!!

Up Next

So what’s next for me?

Well, I’m happy to let everyone know that I plan on going BACK to Impact Basketball sometime in December for more training!!!

In the meantime, I will continue to work on my game and my conditioning.

Matt has been generous enough to offer to put together a nutrition plan and training program for me to continue while I’m training on my own.

All of this means one thing!  I’m getting better Mr. Jordan!  A lot better!!!

me vs. MJ…it’s getting clooooooooser

It’s Wednesday night in Sarasota.  I’ve made it through the first five sessions of my Impact Basketball training.  The first three days have been so much more than I ever could have expected!  I’m loving it!

My Impact Basketball Workout Schedule

For the last two days and for the remainder of my time with Impact Basketball (through Saturday), I begin each day with a morning workout session at 8am that usually lasts until 11:30am or so.  The morning session has consisted of court work and circuit training.

Following the morning workout, I head back to the hotel, eat, take a shower and sleep.  Yes, I’m that tired.

I then come back for an evening workout that begins at 5pm and usually runs till 6:30 or 7pm.

At this point, ever muscle in my body, including muscles I didn’t even know existed…ACHES!  I am extremely fatigued physically, but my spirit and mind are strong!  I am having the best time and trying to soak up every bit of it!

A TRUE Basketball Education!

I came into this experience thinking I knew quite a lot about the game of basketball.  Matt Hiller, who has been gracious enough to train me this week, is BLOWING my mind with his knowledge.  He is showing me things I never even thought of on the court and with enough practice, if implemented in my game, will make a HUGE difference!  I mean HUGE!

I’d give more details, but MJ might be reading…haha.

Me and Akeme

On Tuesday morning, Matt let me know that he’d bring in Akeme Smart to workout with me for my Wednesday morning session.  That turned in to me doing some one-on-one drills against Akeme and I was beyond excited!  All day Tuesday, anytime I would see Akeme or he would see me, one of us would say “Tomorrow!” as a call out to our upcoming battle.

Akeme is 7 foot 3 inches and 19 years old.  He’s gifted with endless potential and has been at Impact Basketball for around two months, working on his game.  On top of being a great player, he seems to be a great young man.

The Match-up (Me and Akeme)

What I thought would be a short session with Akeme, turned into around an hour or more of shooting drills and one-on-one drills.  This was beyond cool for me!

The guys at Impact were kind enough to bring in the cameras and record the session!

To my surprise, when I came back for my night session, the video had been edited and was ready to go!

Without further ado…here is a taste of what I’ve been doing at Impact Basketball!!!

Impact Basketball Training:  Me and Akeme Smart (video):

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fd2rngCTOk

*Special thanks to Matt Hiller (Impact Basketball-Director of Player Development/My Trainer for the week) for setting this up and Akeme Smart for agreeing to workout with me.  Also, BIG thanks to Tom Carollo (Impact Basketball-GM/Academy Director) for shooting the video and doing such a great job editing this for me!! So thankful!!

Monday:  The Journey Begins!

I left for Sarasota at a little after 1pm.  The original plan was to leave very early Monday morning, as the first workout was scheduled for 8am. However, during the first part of last week, Matt (trainer) emailed and asked if I could begin at 5pm on Monday and then finish on Saturday because he was going to be out of town until Monday afternoon.

I checked with the hotel and the change was made.

I got to the hotel around 3:30pm, brought all my stuff up to the room and unpacked.  I then changed into my basketball clothes and before I knew it, it was time to make the short drive to Impact Basketball.

The Arrival and Realization

I got to Impact Basketball around 4:50pm, entered the building and as I came to the end of a corridor I could hear sneakers squeaking and basketballs bouncing.

A few more steps and I saw some BIG kids playing hoops.

I mean BIG!  7 foot 3 inches of BIG!

There were 6 foot 5 inch shooting guards and lightning quick point guards.

Blocked shots against the backboard, bodies flying, it was intense.

I watched for a few minutes, a little shocked at the skill level and size of the players and then continued on looking for my trainer for the week, Matt.

The realization that this was going to be perhaps more than I even expected, rushed over me.

Quick chat, Tour and Medical Check

I found Matt, who is the director of player development at Impact, we talked for a bit and he gave me a tour of the facility.  He let me know that today he wanted to get a sense of where I was as a player on the court, so we would only be doing court work today.

He double checked my medical history and to the court we went.

Keep in mind that Matt, besides training a current group of young men in which four of every five will go on to play college ball…at least, has also trained the likes of Kevin Garnett, Chauncey Billups and Rudy Gay.  To have him as my trainer for the week is beyond special!

Toughest Workout of My Life

After he cleared the court of the younger guys, Matt took me through some stretching.  Things I’ve never seen or done before.

He explained that he would be able to tell based upon my flexibility, how explosive I would be.  I then asked him to make me 1,000 times more explosive.

On one stretch, he said, “You’ve probably seen this one before,” I did the stretch and then let him know that I hadn’t…haha.

After stretching, we worked on numerous shooting drills all at GAME SPEED.

Now, if you’ve been following along, you know that I’m in pretty decent shape these days.  I run +15 miles a week and play hoops twice a week.  When I’m on the court, I’m the guy that can always keep going.

Well, I say that to say this…I GOT MY BUTT KICKED!!!

I can’t remember ever gasping for air like I did tonight.  EVER!

Near the end of the workout I was standing at the free throw line, trying to pull myself together for two free throws and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get my wind.

Umm, and tonight’s workout was only 55 minutes!

In those 55 minutes I took around 400 shots at game speed.  Everything off of some movement, no set shots.

Matt broke everything down from my footwork, to explosiveness, to how I should prepare myself to receive the pass, to where my shoulder and foot should be coming around a screen.

The guy kicked my butt and I LOVED IT!!!

I feel like I learned so much in such a short period of time and I can’t wait for tomorrow (Tuesday)!

“Are you the guy playing Michael Jordan?”

About midway through the workout, as I was coming back from a short water break, one of the young guys working on the other end of the court asked, “Are you the guy playing Michael Jordan?”

I was really surprised by this!

We chatted for a second, chuckled about my age, and he asked if I had ever seen Jordan play.  When I told him I had as a member of the Chicago Bulls, he and the other young guy thought that was the coolest thing.

You see, the two guys I was talking with are just 19 years old, so the only Jordan they really get to see is highlight reels.

As I walked back to continue the workout, I felt very fortunate to have seen Greatness!

“You’re better than I expected.”

At the close of the workout, Matt handed me a protein shake and said, “You’re better than I expected.”

I took that as a huge compliment, thanked him again for doing this whole thing and was on my way back to the hotel.

Rest and Day 2

As I type this post Monday evening, my legs are toast.  My arms feel like noodles and my eyes are even tired.  I’m exhausted in every sense of the word.

Day two is going to be interesting.  It is to consist of two sessions, with the first being around four hours.  Mentally I can’t even wrap my head around that right now, but I’ll be there at 8am ready to give it my all!

By the time most of you are reading this, I will be heavy into session two.

Pray for me, wish me luck, whatever it is you do…please do.  I will be needing it for sure!

me vs. MJ…this journey is getting very interesting!!!

Only thing left to do now is buy lots of socks and more basketball shorts!

The next BIG STEP

On October 18th, I will take my Journey to Jordan Camp to the BIG TIME and attend professional basketball training at Impact Basketball, in Sarasota, Florida.

I will be there for one full week (18th-22nd) to train like a PRO.

I’m extremely excited and to be transparent, a bit nervous!

The Real Deal

Impact Basketball is the real deal.

They have trained everyone from Baron Davis to Chauncey Billups, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Tayshaun Prince, John Wall (recent #1 pick in NBA Draft) and the list goes on and on.  (See Alumni)

As you can tell by the list of players above, I’m not their typical client.

Typically guys attending the training are looking to make a living playing basketball or at the very least get a free college education.

When I contacted Impact Basketball, they really connected with what I’m looking to accomplish here at me vs. MJ.  The gentleman from Impact who called me to discuss was almost as excited about it as I am.  His exact phrase was, “Don’t ever grow up!  I love it Kenny!”

So they are doing something they don’t typically do.  They are going to train a 33 year old guy, who was never a great basketball player, in an attempt to get me as ready as I can be to face off against the best hoopster to ever live…Michael Jordan.

I have worked on getting this set up for a couple of months now and for it to all come together, feels amazing!

The Doubt

The nervousness I feel going into this training, has actually caught me a little off guard.

Doubt of my ability.  An inability to belong in such a group of basketball players.  The thought of other players there, wondering what could I possibly be doing training at Impact Basketball.  The thought of the trainers wondering the same.

All of those doubts have put their arm around my shoulders and tried to be a friend, but I sprint forward.

I sprint forward because I KNOW I will learn!

I sprint because I KNOW they will make me better!

I sprint because I CAN NOT let doubt EVER beat me!

I sprint so that I CAN climb my peak of ability!

I sprint so that I can LIVE!

The Process

I don’t know much of what my training will consist of at this point, other than I’ll be working out around 5 hours per day.

I plan on doing some updates from Sarasota, if I’m able to do anything besides train and sleep.

If you’d like to follow along daily, the best way is probably through Twitter.  (You can follow me by clicking here)

Exercise and Prayers

For the 11 days until my training I’ll continue along my workout schedule (see on right side column or click here).

If you could pray for me, I would much appreciate it!  If you don’t pray, wish me luck!

I’ve included a video below to give you a better idea of exactly what Impact Basketball is.

Thanks for following along!  This is about to get really fun!

ps:  Mr. Jordan:  I’m about to get a lot better

Impact Basketball Promotional Video:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koLhFrwv1xY