Kids in Grades 2 to 7 learned basketball fundamentals through fun games during the Penticton Minor Basketball Camp.
The games such as dribble knockout, dribble bull dog and dribble tag are ones the students play during gym class.
“We simply add a basketball and teach them the key fundamentals,” said Hyde, who coaches the Grade 9 Lakers girls basketball team. “They love it.”
The month-long camp, which concluded on Nov. 24, reserved half-an-hour for structured full court games with coaches as referees to encourage the understanding of rules and skill development. Hyde, who coached the Lakers senior boys basketball team, said the camp was excellent.
“The kids are fantastic,” said Hyde. “They are eager and excited to learn, play and compete.”
The kids took a liking to their student coaches who assisted them. What stood out to Hyde was the quick growth of the athletes.
“Week by week, we see drastic improvement both individually in terms of skill development and athleticism, but also in terms of team play and sportsmanship.
“As coaches, we continually get hand shakes and high fives at the end of each session,” added Hyde. “This is always a highlight.”
Hyde said the camps always attract hard-working athletes who are happy to be at the camp with competitive spirits. He runs them three times a year, including the spring and summer.
“We hope that youth in our community continue to engage in healthy activities and sport, but also hopefully fall in love with what we believe to be the best sport ever – basketball,” he said.