When the B2G Elite Football Program concludes its 2006 summer program on June 25th, it will culminate with the A-Game at Los Angeles (Calif.) Valley College.
Fittingly, it’s where B2G really began.
As defensive backs for L.A. Valley, Ron Allen and Henry Bell practiced together, played together and did what it took to become Division I college football players. Allen transferred to UCLA and was a part of Cotton and Rose Bowl teams for the Bruins. Bell went to Purdue, playing for the Boilermakers on two Alamo Bowl squads.
After their careers ended, the former Monarch teammates had the idea to start a football camp that would have no peer on the West Coast, and eventually none nationally. Further, they wanted to move away from the idea that it was a camp but instead an elite program that the top football players in the West as well as the rest of the nation could spend four days at during the summer.
“The first year we did it was in 2000. Our biggest names were Matt Ware and Tyler Ebell,” said Allen. Ware was one of the top recruits in the nation the following February and Tyler eventually set the national single-season rushing record that fall for Ventura (Calif.) High. Both signed with UCLA, with Ware going to the NFL where he plays for the Philadelphia Eagles and Ebell transferring to UTEP, where he was a starter for the Miners before an injury cut short his final season.
Yet Ware and Ebell were just the first of many national names that B2G would attract. A year later, Donnie McClesky, Marcedes Lewis and Darnell Bing would all venture to Cal Lutheran University, where B2G spends most of its time.
“The third year was the year we got a sponsorship deal with Nike. Then we had guys like (USC’s) Steve Smith, (Cal’s) Daymeion Hughes, (Oregon’s) Dennis Dixon and (Stanford’s) Mark Bradford come,” said Allen. Now those guys are all going to be seniors and will be going to the NFL next year.”
Since 2000, B2G has produced over 70 players that have gone on to play major college football, 40 are in the Pac-10 and 19 of their camp alum have played as true freshmen. Close to one out of every two B2G campers have received a major D-1 scholarship.
Not a bad history, considering Allen and Bell initially just wanted to make a camp available to prospective college athletes during the dog days of summer.
“When we walked away, we thought about what was lacking for high school football players. First and foremost, we wanted to make it strictly a camp. It is not a combine whatsoever,” said Bell. “We don’t do any testing. Its skill development, working on footwork, doing 1-on-1’s and 7-on-7’s. We fine tune weaknesses and techniques. In a nutshell, for the kids itself, its designed to simulate the first week of college ball.”
Now heading into its seventh year, B2G is partnering with Scout.com to present the top summer football program in the West.
But while many summer football camps focus solely on the football aspect, B2G has made it a point to counsel the players who come on the off-the-field portion of college life.
“They will have academic workshops, we will go over NCAA compliance, there are classes on SAT prep, basically all of the responsibilities of a student-athlete,” said Allen.
A typical day at B2G includes waking up at 6:30 a.m., having breakfast than on the field at 8 a.m. The morning practice has the players going through individual drills, position specific, then going at it in 1-on-1’s and 7-on-7’s. A break for lunch leads into the second practice, which focuses on strength and conditioning, ply metrics, speed-explosion and some more 1-on-1’s and 7-on-7’s. A long, hot day in the Thousand Oaks sun can leave the players weary, so its off to dinner.
But there is more after they enjoy an evening meal. The players will come back and watch film of practice and watch some of the highlight tapes of different prospects there. Classes on SAT prep or NCAA Compliance are held. Then its time to hang out in the dorms, where the players there form what turns out to be a close-knit bond with the other participants. Guys will relax, play video games and talk, before heading for a nights sleep, ready to do the same thing the next day.
“We want these guys to get the full experience. From football to off-the-field, prepare them for what life is like in college, as students and as football players,” said Bell.
A cap of 65 players is set to insure that each player there gets as many reps as possible.
“For quality control purposes, we keep it to 65. We like it the size we have it at. If you have more than that than you take away from the reps,” said Allen. “But we start out evaluating like 200 guys to begin with, then we narrow it down to 65.”
And the posturing happens earlier and earlier.
Allen and Bell being looking at the initial list of prospects in January. They spend time poring over the top players in the upcoming senior class, and then begin the invitation process. All this coming off the heels of a busy time of year for them, when they’ve been watching the previous summers participants play their final year of high school football and make a decision on where they’ll spend their college careers.
“We try to watch as many games from the guys who come in. We watch them play as seniors. Its not just football, but it’s a mentoring program. We’re interacting with them, supporting them at their games and checking them out,” said Bell.
As the campers sign with colleges, they can focus on who is the next crop of prospects to come through.
Already this year’s camp features some of the top names around the country, proof that its catching fire nationally.
“This year, we’ve got guys from Florida coming to B2G. (Lakeland running back) Chris Rainey and Tremaine and Jermaine McKenzie (from Bradenton Prep),” said Allen.
And of course, the best of the California crop will be there.
Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian running back Marc Tyler and safety Marshall Jones, Los Angeles (Calif.) Crenshaw running back Raymond Carter, Los Angeles (Calif.) Verbum Dei linebacker Akeem Ayers, Encino (Calif.) Crespi linebacker D.J. Holt, San Diego (Calif.) Mira Mesa receiver Markques Simas and tight end Nate Chandler, Gardena (Calif.) Serra receiver Anthony Boyles, Los Angeles (Calif.) Jordan cornerback Antwoine Baker and Pasadena (Calif.) Muir safety Lance Mitchell are just of the few of the big names who’ve committed to coming this summer.
The common theme there is that each is a skill position player. In other words, lineman will have to find another camp to go to during the summer.
“It’s just skill guys,” said Allen. “DB’s, linebackers, quarterbacks, receivers, tight ends and running backs.”
While many headliners grace the list, there is also the opportunity for a guy that Allen and Bell feel will make a Division I school happy, but may not be getting the initial publicity, to have a chance to shine.
“It happens every year. Daymeion Hughes is a preseason all-American at Cal this year. Before he came to the camp (in 2002), he didn’t have any offers, didn’t have the press. Then he does well at our camp. Within days after that, he started getting offers,” said Allen. “Because we’re so connected to the football market out here, we are able to give these kids an opportunity to shine. One of the things we’ve done is we’ve built a lot of our name on guys that were discovered. Guys that were under the radar, going into their senior year.”
When the skills are sharpened, the chalk talks done and the play improved, the highlight of B2G closes out the weekend: The A-Game.
The A-Game has become one of the must-see football events of the summer, as players perform in front of friends, family and the media in a 7-on-7 flag football game that each player who participates in B2G will play in.
“It’s really an exciting event. We have a DJ out there, someone on the microphone announcing And1 style. Teams score points, and there is a lot of hype in it,” said Bell.
After the A-Game, the players return to their hometowns, ready to focus on their upcoming seasons. But they don’t forget about the players they’ve forged bonds with.
“When each player has finished the four days at B2G, they become part of a select group of players who’ve been through B2G. Since we are very unique, handpicked and small, we consider it a fraternity. That brings the camaraderie, the relationship. These guys know they can give us a call anytime, we consider it a fraternity. Plus guys want to come back and help the next year,” said Allen. “It’s reignited our college football fanhood. When we were done playing, it was tough to watch that first year. Now we are all for the individuals, and I have guys that I’m rooting for.
Bell agreed. “Even though one guy might be from San Diego or another might be from Arizona, they end up clicking right away. In college, the best guys tend to be friends, and they keep the camaraderie. We’ll see them at the 50-yard line after the game, talking with each other.”
It’s through this continuing growth that Allen and Bell see B2G taking off not just in the West, but nationally.
“One of the benefits with us being with Scout.com is the ability we have to access different hotbeds. Our goal is to do one in Texas, one in Florida and one in the Midwest. And of course, stay in California. Then eventually our ultimate goal is to have an All-American Camp plus the four regional camps,” said Bell.
While summer has traditionally been the domain of AAU basketball and the shoe camps, Bell and Allen are hoping that their program will rival what basketball has available.
“This is going to be the best product available. As long as Sonny Vaccaro is doing basketball, we’re going to be doing this. Literally everyone in the NBA has gone through those programs, and we want to be able to say in a few years that every player in the NFL has come through our program. As we’re planting seeds around the country we can touch more lives,” said Allen.
And touching lives is one of their goals, whether it is off-the-field or on it.
“(U.S. Army All-American and USC signee) David Ausberry’s mom gave us one of the highest compliments. She said ‘thank you for doing something that I could have never done- turned him into a man’. All I could say was thanks. There are life lessons that what we do is effective,” said Allen.
Allen and Bell don’t see B2G stopping the momentum anytime soon.
“We want to continue to build awareness and to let people know we’re one of the most prestigious camps around. You have no choice but to get the skills. We want to get the word out about B2G Elite Football Program. That you’ll be competing against the best and when you walk away, you’ll be ten times better than when you came through the door,” said Bell.
Scout.com will provide exclusive coverage the first three days of B2G and the camp, which runs from June 22-25, culminates on Sunday, the 25th with the A-Game.
For more information on how to become a participant, log onto www.B2Gsports.com