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The future of Hornet hoops was on display all this week at the Wayne Highlands Middle School.
Under the direction of varsity coach Tim Wood, dozens of players turned out for the 2011 Wayne County Commissioners Boys Basketball Camp.
The clinic, which is the 29th in a series dating back to the summer of 1982, attracted youngsters from all over the area.
“We had a wonderful week,” Coach Wood told TWI Sports. “This is such a great community. We always receive amazing support for projects like this one and we’re very grateful.”
In addition to Coach Wood, several other familiar faces from the Red & Black hardwood scene were on hand to volunteer their services.
Maria West, Honesdale’s current boys freshman coach, drove 70 miles round trip Monday through Friday to lend a hand. Hall of Fame “coach emeritus” Ron Rowe was also a fixture on the sidelines for a clinic he helped found nearly three decades ago.
Former high school players Sean Curran and Dusty Roberts returned to the scene of their greatest basketball triumphs. Current players Tim Hart and Dave Bierema also helped out.
On the Court
Campers began each day at 9:00 a.m. and trained hard right up until noon.
Coach Wood emphasized that the week’s work focused on fundamentals. However, there was plenty of time dedicated to scrimmaging and to having fun.
“We got a lot of things done, but we laughed a lot, too,” he said. “I think it’s safe to say that all the players and coaches enjoyed this week tremendously.”
The Wayne County Commissioners once again threw the full weight of their support behind the camp. Wendell Kay turned up for Friday’s awards ceremony to represent the Board and say a few words of encouragement to a gathering of parents, friends and fans.
“I think it’s very important that we continue to back youth sports programs like this one,” said Commissioner Kay. “These are tough economic times, but the investment we make in our children...well, you just can’t put a price tag on that.”
Trophy Winners
After five days of intense training and daily competition, more than 40 players and 100 family members gathered to see their young players honored.
Coach Wood handed out t-shirts to every camper and awarded special trophies to six boys.
Ben Williams won the Junior Division free throw contest, draining 23-of-40 attempts. Ben is a fourth grader and his favorite NBA team is the Lakers. He loves Kobe Bryant.
The future of Hornet hoops was on display all this week at the Wayne Highlands Middle School.
Under the direction of varsity coach Tim Wood, dozens of players turned out for the 2011 Wayne County Commissioners Boys Basketball Camp.
The clinic, which is the 29th in a series dating back to the summer of 1982, attracted youngsters from all over the area.
“We had a wonderful week,” Coach Wood told TWI Sports. “This is such a great community. We always receive amazing support for projects like this one and we’re very grateful.”
In addition to Coach Wood, several other familiar faces from the Red & Black hardwood scene were on hand to volunteer their services.
Maria West, Honesdale’s current boys freshman coach, drove 70 miles round trip Monday through Friday to lend a hand. Hall of Fame “coach emeritus” Ron Rowe was also a fixture on the sidelines for a clinic he helped found nearly three decades ago.
Former high school players Sean Curran and Dusty Roberts returned to the scene of their greatest basketball triumphs. Current players Tim Hart and Dave Bierema also helped out.
On the Court
Campers began each day at 9:00 a.m. and trained hard right up until noon.
Coach Wood emphasized that the week’s work focused on fundamentals. However, there was plenty of time dedicated to scrimmaging and to having fun.
“We got a lot of things done, but we laughed a lot, too,” he said. “I think it’s safe to say that all the players and coaches enjoyed this week tremendously.”
The Wayne County Commissioners once again threw the full weight of their support behind the camp. Wendell Kay turned up for Friday’s awards ceremony to represent the Board and say a few words of encouragement to a gathering of parents, friends and fans.
“I think it’s very important that we continue to back youth sports programs like this one,” said Commissioner Kay. “These are tough economic times, but the investment we make in our children...well, you just can’t put a price tag on that.”
Trophy Winners
After five days of intense training and daily competition, more than 40 players and 100 family members gathered to see their young players honored.
Coach Wood handed out t-shirts to every camper and awarded special trophies to six boys.
Ben Williams won the Junior Division free throw contest, draining 23-of-40 attempts. Ben is a fourth grader and his favorite NBA team is the Lakers. He loves Kobe Bryant.
Will Howell earned free throw contest honors in the Middle School Division. Will drained 33-of-40 tries. Howell is a huge Notre Dame fan and his favorite player in Ben Hansbrough.
Daniel Figura brought home the trophy among Senior Division shooters. Dan is headed for 7th grade and he knocked down 36-of-40 attempts. Figura roots for the Orlando Magic and their resident “Superman,” Dwight Howard.
Runners-up for the free throw contest were: Jimmy Ludwig (Jr. Division), Grady Birmelin (Middle School Division) and Nick Casazza (Sr. Division).
This year’s Most Improved Players were: Connor Coar (Jr. Division), Matt Bresset (Middle School Division) and Ryan Novobilski (Senior Division).
Coar is a third grader. His #1 NBA team is the Miami Heat and he idolizes Dwyane Wade.
Novobilski will be in 7th grade this fall. Ryan’s favorite team is the World Champion Dallas Mavericks. However, his top-rated player is LeBron James.
Bresset is headed for the 5th grade at Honesdale. He cheers for the Philadelphia 76ers and, not surprisingly, Andre Iguodala is his favorite player.
