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Young basketball players from around the Pelham area got to learn from the best as they gained new skills and met their favorite Panthers players at the Pelham Basketball Camp. (For the Reporter/Jason Homan)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

PELHAM ­– Kids in Pelham experienced a special week when the Pelham Panthers boys and girls basketball teams hosted their annual basketball camp at Pelham High School from June 26-28.

185 campers came out and were treated to a week of basketball skill development and learning the fundamentals of the game from the Panthers varsity coaches and players.

Every morning, kids worked on defense, ball-handling and their shooting skills. They also had the opportunity to compete against one another in different games.

One of the most popular games was Beat the Pro, where campers took on a Pelham player one-on-one and tried to score on them. If they did, they were given a certificate by the coaches.

The camp was a special opportunity for the kids to not just play basketball with their favorite Panthers players, but also got to meet and hang out with them, which Pelham boys basketball coach Greg Dickinson thought was very meaningful for them.

“I think that was big for them just to just to have that big buddy around them and seeing the guys that they come watch playing the games, now they get to interact with them one on one,” coach Dickinson said.

Each player was responsible for a team that they coached themselves. That allowed the players to get even closer with the kids they were around more often, and it was very rewarding for coach Dickinson to watch his players show off their own coaching side after being coached by him all year long.

“Just having them around, seeing that they care and interacting with them, I think that that brought a lot out of the camp for those campers and I think it helped them enjoy camp a lot more as well,” coach Dickinson said.

Overall, the camp was a great success for everyone involved. The campers got to have fun playing basketball and become friends with the Pelham players, the players and coaches enjoyed a fun break from summer workouts and play days to give back to the next generation, and the camp enjoyed one of its best turnouts ever.

Coach Dickinson heard a lot from the kids and parents on what they liked and how to make it even better, and the hope is that the camp will be even bigger and better next year.

“We had a lot of great feedback on the parents, and it grew more than we had last year, so it turned out great,” coach Dickinson said.

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