The Avery High School basketball coaching staff, in conjunction with the Avery Parks and Recreation Department, held a youth basketball camp from June 22-25th at Viking Gym in Newland.Children from kindergarten through rising 9th graders were eligible to attend, with a morning session each day for the kindergarten through rising 4th grade students, and an afternoon session for students from 5th through 9th grade. Between 30 and 35 students attended during each day of the camp.
“I think the kids enjoyed the experience. It can be hard to tell sometimes, but I could see them smiling and they were learning a lot,” Avery Vikings varsity boys head basketball coach Bo Manis said regarding the recent camp.
This year’s camp is the first at Avery for Coach Manis and his staff of assistants Reggie Oakes and Kent Hayes, and their desire was to pass along to students the fundamentals of the game of basketball, facets of the game that go deeper than simply shooting baskets over the proverbial garage door.
“It’s much like Coach Oakes told the kids at the start of camp; we wanted to teach the kids about the three L’s: Look, Listen, and Learn. I think they really soaked it up and they had a good time,” Coach Manis said. “We also tried to stress to the students at camp some “old school” basic fundamentals. We worked on areas like basic bounce passing, defensive positioning where players see the ball and the man and staying between the player and the basket. We wanted to concentrate on fundamentals because when a game comes down to crunch time, you have to have those fundamentals to be successful.”
Throughout the four days of camp, the Vikings coaches worked to help the campers understand the importance of the smaller, less glamorous aspects of the game, such as dribbling, shooting, rebounding, footwork, and especially defense.
“We stressed defense to the campers because it’s true that defense wins championships. Defense is what allows you to score points. Without defense you can’t get the ball. So we worked with the kids on playing good defense and working hard to stop the other team’s offense,” Coach Manis added. “Not many kids go home and work on defense or rebounding, which is why we wanted to focus on areas that the kids can’t necessarily work on at home. We hope they picked up drills that they can now take home with them and work on.”
A number of young athletes played well at the camp and showed glimpses of how they may have a bright future ahead in basketball. “Several players looked really good on the floor. We’ve seen more than a handful, and as a high school coach I’m tickled to death to see that. Several players stood out with good fundamentals,” Coach Manis stated. “In my opinion and from speaking with others, building a program starts with reaching the younger kids and helping them develop the skills and passion for the game. I’m blessed with a couple of assistants in Reggie and Kent who have had experience with middle school and younger players, and they’ve been great to offer perspective when it comes to helping to follow the progression of our local players. It’s great to see a hometown kid do well that you’re working with.”
Campers had the opportunity to learn from not only the coaching staff, but members of the Avery basketball team, who assisted as camp instructors. The camp gave the players the chance to teach the lessons they’ve learned as players, and offered a perspective from the other side of the coaching whistle.
“The players did really well with the kids at camp. I believe their work here will carry over into practice and the regular season,” Coach Manis said.
Campers not only learned drills, but took part in 1-on-1 contests as well as other individual and group competitions which promoted teamwork and unity. While the purpose of the camp involved learning skills and having a good time, the coaching staff hopes that those who attended were able to come away with basic yet crucial characteristics which they can use both in basketball and in life.
“I believe my players better understood the word “humility” this week. The guys learned a lot about the attention span of younger kids and how it isn’t always easy to teach them,” Coach Manis said. “By being part of the camp, I think it’s helped our players pick up the principles of the game better, and I really believe the campers learned the importance of working together and teamwork. I hope that we taught both our players and the campers the importance of humility and playing as a group.”
The Avery Basketball Summer Camp was one of several sports camps being offered locally for children throughout this summer. For more information on upcoming camp dates, prices, and deadlines, check out the Journal-Times Sports Blog at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com or contact Avery Parks and Recreation at 733-8266.
