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When you get on the court, you just play the game. The best players know how to remove themselves from what goes on outside of the arena and focus on what they need to do to win the game. During her time at IMG Academy, senior guard Kailyn Gilbert discovered that what happens on the floor is all that matters.
“The thing I love most about basketball is it’s like medicine,” says Gilbert. “Any time I step on the court, anything I’m dealing with outside, it just goes away.”
This mentality didn’t come naturally. In the beginning, she often found herself in doubt of what happened during a game. Enter Lindsey Hamilton, IMG’s Head of Mental Coaching, who guided Gilbert in her time at the Academy.
“Mental conditioning is the process of training mental skills in order to perform at your best, no matter the circumstances,” Hamilton explains. “I have seen Kailyn strive toward things that are really meaningful and important to her while also being aware that she’s navigating things that might be holding her back.”
Based on her success, there isn’t much that holds Gilbert back. She helped lead the IMG girl’s team to their first GEICO High School Nationals tournament and has committed to the University of Arizona. Gilbert attributes these achievements to mental preparation. “Everything else doesn’t matter, just what’s happening on the floor,” Gilbert says. “I just need to get back to that like when I was young. I just wanted to play basketball.”
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College is the next adventure. Gilbert is prepared and focused on achieving her goals. “I’ll get there by just being me and staying true to myself and dedicated to the game,” she explains. “I’m going to be better than I was yesterday and just focus on getting one percent better.”
Watch the video to learn how Kailyn Gilbert used her mental conditioning to grow as a player and as a person. To sign up for a basketball camp, or to learn more about other basketball offerings at IMG Academy, click on the links below.
