ARLINGTON — With sports becoming more and more competitive off the field, court or diamond, high school camps are becoming more important.
In that spirit, the Arlington basketball program will host a series of camps in June for kids of nearly all ages.
“Not every school has a camp, but it definitely is becoming the trend,” said boys basketball coach Nick Brown. “We’ve been doing this for 14 years or so and people tell us that ours is one of the better-run high school camps around.”
The camps, which are for boys and girls and begin as early as June 16, are spread out between the Arlington Boys & Girls Club, Haller Middle School and the high school.
At each camp, the kids will be able to learn from Eagles basketball players, which Brown finds particularly hepful.
“You get to learn a lot about your players by watching them go through what you do,” he said. “That’s what I really like about it, watching those varsity kids trying to teach them something new and see how they take to it.”
In an era where kids are getting started in sports and specializing earlier in life, camps such as these get coaches acquainted with upcoming players.
“You get to know who some of the kids are from an early age and watch them develop,” he said. “It’s beneficial to a coach, but it’s also that way for a kid to get familiar with how our program does things.”
In part, Brown credits the recent turnaround in Arlington basketball to these camps, saying that they have helped stabilize a high level of play. The Eagles finished the season 13-10 overall and came just one win away from the 4A state tournament.
“The kids get to learn from high schoolers that they try to be like when they come and see them in the wintertime,” he said. “And it’s kind of a cycle because most of our players went to that camp and did the same thing just a few years ago.”
But Brown is also quick to say that these camps aren’t just for kids who know they want to play basketball all the time.
“It’s also a great way for kids who think they might want to play basketball — they get to learn the basics of the game in a pressure-free environment,” he said. “And get to know some of the players in the process.”
