Plant City High School held its annual summer basketball camp from June 5 through 8.
Only at Plant City High School’s annual basketball camps are kids just as likely to get backed down in the post by coach Billy Teeden as their fellow campers.
Teeden and the boys and girls of the school’s hoops programs hosted the first of two annual summer sessions from June 5 through 8. The camp, now in its 10th summer, is meant to teach boys and girls age 6 through 14 the fundamentals of the game. Shooting, dribbling, positioning, defending and other offensive and defensive areas are covered by the school’s group of coaches, in this case a mixed bag of the teams’ actual coaches and the varsity players.
The camp’s second session will be held from June 19 through 23 and the third from July 10 through 13. The cost to register is $115 per camper. Registration forms can be printed from ow.ly/N5sM30bc6IW and returned to the Plant City Recreation and Parks Department, 1904 S. Park Road.
For more information, call Teeden at (813) 967-7551 or email PCHoops@yahoo.com.
KIDS' CORNER
Dylen Couture
How long have you been coming to the basketball camp?
Three years.
What keeps you coming back?
I keep coming just to play basketball. For the experience.
Who are some of your favorite coaches to work with out here?
Justyn (King) and Mikey (Oyola).
What are some of the most important things you've learned at these camps?
Playing as a team. Making sure everyone's playing together.
What's the most fun thing about this camp, every year?
Probably the games.
What positions do you play?
Point guard and sometimes shooting guard.
Mykel Oyola
How long have you been coaching at the camp?
Two years.
What's the most fun thing about it?
Learning to cope with kids.
What's the most important thing someone should know about that?
All of them are respectful, but you have to learn to be productive.
What's the most important thing you try to teach these kids?
Always be respectful to your peers.
Justyn King
What's the most fun thing about coaching at these camps?
The most fun thing about coaching at these camps is teaching the younger generation how to play the game I play. The basics. Learning the basic stuff like dribbling and shooting.
What's the most important thing someone should know about learning to play Raiders basketball?
That it's a "one team, one goal" thing. If you have a team, you've got to have that one goal. There's no "I" in "team" and there's no "I" in "goal."
What about the fundamentals, what's the biggest thing for you when teaching kids?
How to dribble the ball and the proper way to shoot. We use a thing called "B.E.E.F." Balance, elbow, eye contact and follow-through.
Emerson Nedurian
How long have you been coming to these basketball camps?
This is my first year.
What made you want to come out here?
My mom always played basketball when she was in high school, and I just thought it was a fun sport.
Is this your first time with competitive basketball?
I've practiced a little, but not real, like this.
What's the most important thing you've learned this week?
How to shoot, how to dribble and how to play the game properly.
