Coaches with Milton High School, including the school’s Athletic Director Murry Rutledge and MHS Basketball Coach Hank Hullett, took the time to teach area kids the fundamentals of basketball.
CLICK HERE: To view photos from the Panther Basketball Camp
“We have had a large number of kids, more than we have had in the last couple of years,” Hullett said.
Hullett said more than 70 kids, ages 6 to 14, attended the Monday through Thursday camp this week which was held in the school’s gymnasium. In years past, the camp would have around 50 kids participating, Hullett said.
Hullett said the camp aims to teach kids the fundamentals of basketball including ball handling, form shooting and passing while including fun games and activities.
“It is stuff that makes it fun for them so they develop a passion for it,” Hullett said.
One of those games is dribble tag, in which a player must dribble a basketball with one hand while carrying a rag in the other. The player holding the rag must tag another competitor in order to get rid of the rag and being able dribble with both hands.
Before the attendees begin practice, the get a chance to ‘stump the chumps’ in which they ask the coaches basketball trivia.
“(Children) get to ask questions,” Rutledge said. “If we can answer them then they have to do pushups. If not, we give them a free drink.”
Rutledge said this week long camp is only teaching the kids the basics of the game. Practice and commitment will further aid the kids in becoming better basketball players, Rutledge said.
“If they want to become better, then they have to take it home and work on it,” Rutledge said. “You are not going to become a good basketball player in four days.”
Many of the kids return, year after year, to the basketball camp. Sean Riley and Katie Brabham, both age 13, are among the seasoned players who are taking the coach’s advice and continually practicing throughout the year. While Riley practices basketball for at least an hour each day, Brabham plays summer basketball with a local travel team.
Both teenagers said they enjoy participating in the three-on-three competitions offered at the camp.
“It’s fun competition,” Riley said. “I want to get better overall, not just in one aspect of the game.”
Brabham said she also enjoys seeing and playing basketball alongside her friends also attending the camp.
Both are also planning to try out for MHS basketball when begin their freshmen years at the school.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: MHS Coaches teach basketball basics to area kids (PHOTOS, VIDEO)