John Scott has often referred to himself as a bookworm player, and for good reason.

    “I might be the only guy you ever meet in basketball that spent his vacation week at the Basketball Hall of Fame library, 12 hours a day, studying books and videos,” he said.

    After playing overseas in three different countries, Scott has spent the last 25 years teaching kids how to be good people and good basketball players. And for the second year in a row, he visited Southeast Idaho Hoops Academy in Chubbuck to teach what has become his life’s work.

    Scott also goes by another moniker, one that a group of students at a clinic in Mississippi gave him; Basketball Doctor.

    “There’s a guy who has been around for years called the Shot Doctor,” he said. “He was at a high school in Mississippi and they brought me in right after.

    “Basically, the players said they learned more about shooting and basketball from me, so they said I must be the basketball doctor. That was about 20 years. I said ‘That’s true, because I can fix anything in basketball.’”

    Friday and Saturday at the Southeast Idaho Hoops Academy building on Chubbuck Road, a group of about 20 kids got their chance for a checkup with the good doctor.

    “He used a different shooting technique. It’s different, but I’ve been using it and my shot has improved so much over the last year,” Maren Herrud, a Highland High School incoming junior, said of her experience with Scott.

    From basic fundamentals to more intense footwork techniques, Scott shared his wealth of knowledge over the course of two days before his students played a series of 5 on 5 games.

    Scott freely admits his knowledge and understanding of basketball outweigh the natural, God-given talent he possesses. Having played at Ricks College and College of the Canyons (Calif.), his rise to the professional ranks was earned by the sweat of his brow.

    “I was a blue-collar worker, not a D-I guy,” he said. “I kind of learned every position because I had to play every position. (I have) learned how to do things better without being the quickest or fastest guy in the world. I try to keep things very simple.”

    And simple means fundamentals. According to Scott, a mastery of the basics slows the game down.

    “... we are always looking for techniques, for someone new to come in and teach the kids and be able to relate to the kids,” said Joe Worrell, the founder and board chairman of the Academy. “One of the things we’ve learned is there is no secret how basketball is played fundamentally. But kids have to hear it from different people, and when they do, that’s when it sinks in.”

    Worrell and players were all impressed by the ease with which Scott explained and taught those fundamentals. Scott says over time he learned the best ways to craft his message.

    “The way I’ve been able to evolve what I do is by teaching thousands of kids,” he said. “I’ve done one-on-one, camps, clinics and I used to be the national clinic director for Congress for a decade. I (am always) studying and trying to find simpler ways to teach.”

    But, Scott’s clinics are always about more than basketball. Much like his business, athleticquest.net, which helps groom prospects for college basketball, Scott is all about helping someone become the best person they can be, on and off the court.

    “We’re going to give you some tools,” he said. “We’re training them as kids, academic students and athletes.”

    Scott does anywhere from 10 to 30 clinics per year, and recently visited Aberdeen and Twin Falls. He has plans to return to the Gate City next summer.

    “I love coming up here,” he said. “The people are great, they treat us well and the kids are great. Anytime the kids are there and they want to learn, I’m happy about it.”

    Find more about the Basketball Doctor on his website http://basketballdoctor.net/.