EudoraNews.com

The number of kids dribbling, shooting and practicing dexterity by tossing a basketball back and forth between their fingers at the Cardinal Summer Basketball Camp may be smaller this year, but that's OK with Eudora High School basketball coach Scott Stein.

"When you get 20 little kids, that isn't always the best situation," he said.

Some changes in Stein's first year leading the camp included starting with third- and fourth-graders, meaning co-ed play for younger players will take place at the Cardinal Basketball Academy beginning June 14.

"It's not that I don't like young kids," Stein said. "I don't think they're always ready for (organized play)."

Another difference in the numbers, Stein said, was that he didn't go to the schools to talk about the camp but rather left fliers at the attendance centers.

"We have nine or 10 per session," he said. "It makes the numbers nice. They get a lot more individual attention."

Smaller numbers are only one reason players and coaches benefit from camps taking place in the community.

"The coach is going to do what he wants to in the future," Stein said. "The kids get to run his fundamental drills."

Moreover, Stein said he thought local camps, like the one he and coach Kevin Wade conducted this week, taught more fundamental skills than others.

Stein said he also had the ninth-graders separated so he could inaugurate them into the high school style of playing and adjust to the changes from playing in middle school.

"We'll run on a practice-type schedule, because there's going to be some differences," he said.

The camp focuses on learning the basics of the game, he said, not conditioning.

"It's 16 weeks before they're doing anything," Stein said. "We teach the basic fundamental skills...so that they can work on them over the summer."

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