By Sports Editor Andrew Simonson
PELHAMWith a successful week at the Pelham Basketball Camp, the Pelham Panthers contributed to the continued growth of basketball in the Birmingham area.
From June 23 to 25, the Pelham High School basketball teams taught a group of about 160 campers the basics of basketball in the school’s gymnasium.
Greg Dickinson, the head boys basketball coach at Pelham, said it went really well. As usual, we had a good turnout. had a terrific time and got a lot of kids in and developing.
Campers practiced a range of skills-building drills during the week, with a particular emphasis on ball handling, dribbling, shooting, and defense.
Additionally, the campers had the opportunity to test their abilities in 1-on-1, 3-on-3, and 5-on-5 contests against each other.
Throughout the week, they were also divided into teams and pitted against them other. A winner-take-all tournament between the teams marked the end of the competition on Wednesday.
Dickinson appreciated watching his guys take charge of the teams and coach up the campers over the week, even if he said the tournament’s win-or-go-home format sometimes dampened the campers’ emotions.
Players from Pelham’s varsity and junior varsity boys basketball programs served as coaches for each team, giving the players an opportunity to take on the role of their coaches and teach the younger players the same basketball skills they had mastered from the Pelham coaching staff. Dickinson claimed that the players added a fresh dimension of rivalry to the teams and were always coming up with amusing methods to outsmart and outdo one another.
Furthermore, Dickinson claimed that the relationships that were created between the campers and the players throughout the three days of camp went beyond basketball.
He claimed that observing such connections grow and the players’ demeanor with the children was the most fulfilling aspect of the camp for him.
According to Dickinson, “I would say watching my players coach, coaching the younger ones, and becoming big buddies to them.” My favorite aspect was seeing how they interacted with the younger boys.
Even though the camp only lasts for three days out of the year, Dickinson stated that weeks like these are essential to the growth of the basketball program at Pelham High School. It is a crucial tool for the program’s future development in addition to providing the athletes with an opportunity to lead and give back to their community.
According to Dickinson, the 160 campers who attended over the course of the week developed a bond with the Pelham Panthers and became familiar with their name. It is his hope that the camp would inspire them to play basketball at Pelham High School.
It goes deeper than that, though. According to Dickinson, the bonds formed at camp frequently go beyond the three summer days spent in the same gym.
According to him, the campers and players get to know one another throughout the season, and the youngsters get to see the same players they learned from throughout the week play for the Panthers’ varsity and JV basketball programs.
According to Dickinson, it’s crucial. It provides a means for you to reach out to young people and for them to know you. Additionally, pique their interest in attending the games as they have a connection to the players now that they know them. Additionally, we allow the younger boys to enter the game for free, so it’s crucial that they can interact with them while they’re playing. They maintain the program’s expansion.
