CRESTVIEW — Mustang girls basketball Coach Ryan Gillis and boys Coach Mitch Buckelew have one major goal during their summer camp.
“We are just trying to teach them some basics,” Gillis said. “We are trying to teach them how to dribble a little bit and the correct way to shoot.
"By the time they get to us (in middle school), they already have horrible habits and we are trying to break them."
Hub City Boys Basketball Camp photos>>>
Echoes of bouncing basketballs filled a near-empty gym on Tuesday at Shoal River Middle School. The Hub City Boys Basketball Camp was underway but just four campers — Vincent Lancaster, Jamarius Wilkes, Anthony Ferguson and Decorian Champion — were on the court.
Still, coaches made the best of the situation, demonstrating free-throw shooting techniques and defensive positioning for rebounding.
“Our idea was to try and catch them early and teach them the right way when they are little," Gillis said. "Then, when they get to us (as student-athletes), maybe they are starting to get a lot better. We are trying to head the bad habits off before they get started.”
Decorian Champion, a 9-year-old who attends Riverside Elementary School, said he wants to play college basketball at the University of Tennessee and for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association.
A week with the Shoal River coaches might be one of the first steps in achieving his dream.
“They showed me all kinds of new stuff,” he said.
Jamarius Wilkes, 11 — a rising sixth-grader at Davidson Middle School and Golden State Warriors fan — said he enjoyed the camp as well.
“It’s fun,” he said. “They are teaching you to do things right.”
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hub City basketball camp teaches basics to Crestview's youth (PHOTOS, VIDEO)