Woke up before dawn today, coffee in hand, threw my gear bag in the back seat. Headed out towards the high school gym where this South Carolina Girls Basketball Camp everyone’s been buzzing about was kicking off. Honestly? Bit nervous, never done one exactly like this before. Mama said it builds character.
First Day Jitters & Getting Started
Pulled into the parking lot – already packed with SUVs and minivans, girls everywhere buzzing with energy. Signed in, got this bright blue camp t-shirt (it’s comfy, gotta say), and they stuck a name tag on me quicker than you could blink. Coach Riley, the head honcho, blew the whistle sharp. Made us all gather center court.
Started simple, thank goodness. Warm-up laps had my lungs burning already. Coach Riley shouted drills: shuffles, slides, high knees – stuff you think you know, but doing it right under their eyes? Different ball game. They weren’t messing around.
Diving Into Skills (The Sweaty Part)
Split us up into groups by age first thing after warm-up. My group landed with Coach Davis, who’s got eyes like a hawk. Here’s what we drilled into the ground:
- Ball Handling Boot Camp: Seriously, endless dribbling. We did figure-eights around the legs until I thought mine would fall off, two-ball drills that made my brain hurt, full-court speed dribbles. Focus? Keeping that head UP. Coach Davis spotted me looking down – “Eyes up, playmaker!” every single time.
- Shooting Form is Everything: Moved to shooting stations. Coach K took us line by line, breaking down every little piece: feet square (tripod base, she kept saying), elbow in, flick that wrist. Shot maybe a hundred free throws trying to get the arc just right. My arms felt like noodles afterward.
- Defense Don’t Rest: After lunch (peanut butter sandwiches!), it was defensive stance city. Slides, closeouts – oh man, the closeouts! Sprinting at someone, stopping on a dime with hand high? Tough. We practiced denying the ball, getting low. Coach preached effort: “Feet loud, girls! Make ’em work for it!” Sweat? Oh boy.
Where the Fun Kicked In
Wasn’t all grim drills. Right when we were dragging, they’d throw in some competition. Dribble Knockout had everyone giggling and shrieking. Shooting games for Skittles candy (yes, I got a few!). Ended each day with full 5-on-5 scrimmages. That’s where you really felt the stuff you practiced click. Trying to apply the defensive slides in a real game? Much harder than on air! But seeing that open pass you learned about? Golden feeling.
Coach Wisdom That Stuck
Between drills and during water breaks, the coaches dropped little nuggets. Stuff I scribbled down later:
- “Great offense is good shots, not rushed shots.” (Coach Riley during scrimmage when someone chucked it early)
- “Communicate! Loud, early, and clear. Your teammate can’t read your mind.” (Coach Davis yelling during a defensive drill)
- “If you lose the ball, get it back defensively. One mistake doesn’t mean the next one has to be.” (Coach K after I got stripped and got beat back on defense)
- “Bring effort. Every drill. Every play. Coaches notice effort first.” (This one stuck hard. Means you gotta go full speed even when tired)
Wrapping Up & Leaving Wrecked
Three days flew by. My legs felt like lead weights climbing stairs by the end. Grabbed my participation certificate and a camp basketball (nice perk!). Drank Gatorade like it was life support and staggered back to the car each afternoon.
Was it tough? Darn right. Learned stuff? Way more than I thought I would. Made a few new friends who also trip over their own feet sometimes. And those coach tips? Real talk. Changed how I think about stuff, even simple passing drills. Solid camp. Would drag myself out of bed before dawn again.