High school coaches to host first-of-its-kind camp

In an effort to develop the skills of children in Southeast Missouri who have a desire to pursue basketball at a higher level, Jackson basketball coach Darrin Scott and Kennett basketball coach Jim Vaughan will hold the inaugural Southeast Missouri Basketball Coaches Association elite skills camp June 23 through 25 at Jackson High School.

"Both Darrin and I are just trying to do a lot more in the area in terms of basketball," Vaughn said about the camp. "We want to get more kids in the sport earlier so that they can pursue basketball at a higher level. We want there to be more postseason recognition in this area in the future and, as our mission states,'promote the game of basketball in the state of Missouri'."

The MBCA elite skills camp is open to boys and girls from fifth grade through eighth grade. [Editor's note: Click here to download the registration form.]

Scott encourages young athletes to come out because this camp will offer things that other camps may not.

Scott pointed out that in many camps for younger children, the ratio of children to coaches is extreme. At the MBCA camp, the ratio of players to coach will be no more than 9-to-1.

Eight high school coaches from the area, including Scott and Vaughan, will be involved in hands-on techniques such as ball control, shooting techniques and footwork with the athletes.

Scott said he and his staff have a goal of getting 60 determined, young players who want to get better at basketball in to their camp and is confident 60 is a manageable number.

"At a lot of these camps you see about 50 kids and maybe one or two coaches," Scott said. "In my mind, the ability to actually coach a kid becomes lost when you have that ratio of coaches to players. We want this to be more of a teaching camp from the standpoint that we will know each player's basketball capabilities and be able to give them the pointers they need to get better."

The staff for the MBCA camp includes notable names from the area in high school basketball as well as newcomers. Oran basketball coach Joe Shoemaker will be one of the eight coaches at the camp. Shoemaker took Oran to three consecutive district championships before this season and reached the final four in 2013. Shoemaker also coached Advance to the final four in 2006.

"Shoemaker has been doing this the longest out of all of us and has had the most success in it, so we couldn't pass him up," Vaughan said. "He's got a real passion for coaching and teaching kids the game so we thought he would be a perfect fit."

The rest of the staff includes coaches from a range of schools across Southeast Missouri. They include Jackson girls basketball coach Tyler Abernathy, South Pemiscot boys basketball coach Aaron Bidewell, Jackson assistant coaches Mike Holloway and Cory Barker and Kennett assistant coach Jordan Penn.

"One thing we wanted to do with our camp coaching staff was to try and make it a pretty good range throughout Southeast Missouri," Vaughan said. "We want to broadcast this to kids from all over the region and not just in Cape or Jackson. So we thought branching out our coaching staff would provide a good stretch and bring kids from all over in to camp."

The main gym and auxiliary gym at Jackson High School will be available for players and coaches during the camp.

The main gym houses 10 basketball goals and the auxiliary gym six. Scott said having the two gyms provides players and coaches with an advantage in that players can be split into small groups where they can be paired with one or two coaches who can focus on each player's individual development.

After small group practices, Scott said he plans to split players into teams so they can play full-length games -- another thing Scott said is usually not done at camps. This will give coaches the opportunity to see each player in a fast-paced game.

"We want these kids to get better, and they can only do that if someone recognizes a lacking basketball skill and fixes it," Scott said. "Having the gyms and goals that we do only enhances the potential for a coach to see what these young players need to work on and be able to relay that to them so that they get better. It's great that we can focus on individual skills and then bring that to a game-type situation where they can showcase talent as a team."

At the end of camp, each player will receive a written evaluation that will provide feedback and guidance on how he or she can improve.

"The idea is to develop their skills so that they're ready to play at high levels such as when they're in high school or headed to college," Scott said. "We want them to get serious now, and we think we have the coaching staff and the tools to teach them what it takes to be a serious player."

Registration is underway and 10 already have signed up. The fee is $100, and each participant will receive a T-shirt upon registration. For information or questions, contact Darrin Scott at dscott@indianhoops.com.

Other summer basketball camps include a boys individual half-day camp hosted by the Southeast Missouri Sate men's basketball team on June 2 through 4. The cost is $90 a person and is available for boys from first through eighth grade.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. June 2 for 6- to 11-year-olds and 12:30 p.m. for 12- to 16-year-olds.

The Redhawks are also hosting a team camp for high school teams June 13 through 14. The coast is $400 a team, and each team will play a minimum of six high school regulation games with certified high school officials. Space is limited to the first 42 teams.

The Lady Bearcat Basketball summer camp will take place at Dexter High School on May 27 to 29.

Girls entering kindergarten through third grade next year can attend camp from 8 to 10 a.m., fourth- through sixth-graders from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and seventh- and eighth-graders from 1 to 3 p.m.

Registration is $25 a person. Contact Dexter girls basketball coach Chad Allen for more information at callen@dexter.k12.mo.us or 573-421-4571.