Junior College transfer Quentin Guidry teaches the finer points of dribbling.
EUGENE, Ore. – The NCU/YMCA Boys Basketball Camp comes to a close on Thursday after what is being considered the most successful week in the history of the Beacons Sports Camps. The camps, with sessions for Kindergarten through 9th Grade, set an attendance record as 82 kids were involved in the festivities.
The basketball camp, like all other camps put on by NCU, hopes that kids will walk away with a week chock full of great memories of basketball. Camp director and NCU’s head men’s basketball coach Corey Anderson said, “Little kids play sports because it is fun, and we like to help create that fun for them. For a lot of these kids this could be their first experience with sports and we want to give them a positive experience. That way, in the future when they have an opportunity to play, they can reflect back and remember how much fun sports are, and they can get excited about continuing.”
Another benefit is having the kids being coaches in camp by many of the student-athletes from the NCU Men’s Basketball team. “It’s a great thing to have the little tykes get to know our players,” said Anderson. “When they come out to our games next year, they will see Coach Cam or Coach Ben on the floor and have a real connection with them.”
That benefit, however, works both ways as the camp also gives a great opportunity to the student-athletes. Anderson said, “I think our guys get just as much out of camp as the kids do. It’s good for them to taste what being a role model is like and have these kids look up to them. It’s a real positive thing for them to see the kids and remember the kids each year and during basketball season.”
One of the coaches is incoming freshman basketball player Jordan Myers (Churchill HS). He said, “I love working with the kids. They listen well and they love being taught by guys that are playing college ball so it’s a good experience. We get to develop relationships on a personal level and when they get to come out to games as see the guys that coached them, it brings a great atmosphere to the college.”
The NCU/YMCA summer sports camps continue with girls basketball camp, July 20-23, and soccer camps from August 3-6. For more information, visit GoBEACONS.com/camps.