2010-07-12
A record number of boys basketball players from around the region visited the University of Rio Grande recently for the annual “Hard Work Camp.”
The camp is run by University of Rio Grande Men’s Basketball Coach Ken French, and this year it brought 266 participants to campus for the week. The campers were all between the ages of 10-15, and they came to learn about basketball, play in the unique Triple Elimination Tournament and have a good time.
“It’s fun, but it’s hard work,” said Nathan Scott, who is from Eastern Brown High School. Scott said that the players work on several basketball drills each day to help them improve their skills, and he said that many of the drills are fairly unique.
“It’s really fun, but really hard sometimes,” added DJ Sanders, who is also from Eastern Brown.
“It’s all basketball. Every day. All day,” said Connor Patrick, who is also from Eastern Brown. All three players said that the camp helped them improve as basketball players and that they enjoyed their time at Rio Grande.
Alec Holt, who is from West Jefferson, said that the participants learned about more than just basketball at the camp.
“You learn about manners,” Holt said, discussing one of the items that is focused on.
“They teach you responsibility,” added Chris Spencer, who is from Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus.
Chance Short, who is from Proctorville, said that the camp stresses items like tucking your shirt in, running basketball plays correctly, staying off of the grass, running everywhere you go, pushing in your chair after lunch, and turning out the lights for sleeping when you are told to.
“Lights out means lights out,” he said.
Phillip McPherson, who is from West Jefferson, said that one exception to the lights-out policy is the last night of camp, when the triple elimination tournament is going on until very late in the night and the players who have been knocked out of the tournament bring their pillows into the gym to rest on until the tournament is over.
Chad McCombs of Proctorville and Aaron Jackson of Columbus added that they learned a lot at the camp, and they enjoyed being pushed to work so hard by the advisors.
Coach Ken French said he was proud of how well the campers did this year, and said they really did work extremely hard, especially on the hot and humid days.
“We try to show the kids that they can push themselves harder and longer,” French said. This applies to playing basketball, but it also applies to all aspects of life. If the campers know they can work this hard at basketball and succeed, they can also work hard at their academics and other responsibilities, and they can succeed in many different areas.
“We’re teaching them about more than just basketball,” French said, adding that personal responsibility is focused on all throughout the week.
The camp does teach the participants a great deal about basketball, though, and they players take part in numerous drills, three-on-three games, five-on-five games, and the tournament.
“One of our goals at the beginning of the week is that if we can make just one kid fall in love with the game of basketball, we have done our job,” French said.
Rio Grande also hosts numerous other basketball events in the summer months for young men and women from around the region. The campus hosts seven “shoot-outs,” for example, which are one-day tournaments for men’s and women’s teams from all around the area. This summer, Rio Grande hosted 127 teams for the shoot-outs.
Rio Grande also hosts many other athletic, music and academic camps on campus throughout the summer months, inviting people of all ages to visit the outstanding campus facilities.
For more information on the basketball camp or on the basketball program at Rio Grande, call the Athletic Department at 1-800-282-7201.
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