Hollister
– Young players dribble their basketballs across hot pavement at
Rancho San Justo School, their small bodies reaching to make a
basket.
Hollister – Young players dribble their basketballs across hot pavement at Rancho San Justo School, their small bodies reaching to make a basket.
“Come on, Parker! Shoot!” the students cheer one another on as they practice the lay-up drill.
The annual Basketball Jones Hoop Camp was in Hollister this week, giving San Benito County kids a chance to work on their basketball skills and have fun while staying active.
“My favorite part about the camp is learning new skills,” said basketball enthusiast Tara Randall, 10. Randall, heading to the sixth grade at Southside School this fall, has been attending the camp for three years.
The camp also is aimed at aiding the parents by getting out some of their children’s energy.
“Basically, I created (the camp) for a kid like me who was kind of hyperactive,” Camp Director Gene Cotter said. “We try to keep everything fast-paced.”
Cotter, of Hollister, has been running the Basketball Jones Hoop Camp for 12 years – the last four years in Hollister. Each summer, the camp travels to different cities throughout northern California for the weeklong sessions. This summer, it will be in 15 cities serving around 12,000 students.
Midmorning on Friday, students between ages 8 and 11 played games and practiced drills on the court outside. Inside, the 12- to 15-year-olds honed their basketball skills.
Cotter said most drills were designed so students could practice at home.
“They’re drills that are not boring,” Cotter said. “You have to spice it up. The attention span is so much shorter for the kids these days with all the technology, so you have to keep up with that with the athletics.”
Rick Mayhew, who serves as one of the head coaches for the camp, said the primary goal is to get kids enjoying basketball.
“The most important thing to teach them is to really have a good time playing basketball,” Mayhew said. “If we teach them the basics and to enjoy that, they’ll take it home and continue to practice.”
Eight-year-old Parker Hughes, in his first year at the camp, said he was excited about the new skills he had picked up – especially dribbling and shooting. Hughes said he previously had practiced basketball with his older brothers, who had taught him to play.
He agreed that now he might be able to show them a thing or two.
