Trinity hosts annual boys basketball camp

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For The Tribune

Area athletes improved their basketball skills recently at the annual Trinity Lutheran’s boys basketball camp

Brian Stuckwisch, head boys’ basketball coach at Trinity Lutheran and the camp director, said a total of 43 boys attended the camp, which ended Friday.

He said there were 28 boys in the second through fifth grade group, and 15 in the sixth to eighth grade group.

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The younger boys worked on basics, while the older players worked on more advanced skills.

“With the younger kids it’s a lot of fundamentals,” Stuckwisch said. “It’s a lot of dribbling, passing, and a little form shooting because they really don’t know how to shoot yet. We’ve got the smaller (8-foot) goals so that they can shoot without trying to push the ball up there from the 3-point line.”

Luke Schepman and Bode Brooks, students at St. John’s Sauers, attended the camp in the past and said they looked forward to learning more about the game this time around.

“I like competing,” Schepman said. “I like shooting layups better than free throws.” He said he does not like shooting on the lower rims. “I’ve got too much power and I can get it up there (on regulation goals). I’m right-handed and I can dribble.”

Brooks said, “It’s been fun the last two years I’ve came. I enjoy competing the same as (Schepman). I like shooting inside the paint.” Brooks said he is also right-handed.

Both boys said they have been keeping active with travel ball this summer as Schepman is playing baseball, and Brooks is playing baseball.

“We’re teaching them a lot of 1-on-1 so that they get to learn how to guard a person 1-on-1, stay in front of them between the basket, the ball and their man; and also just being aggressive, going for that loose ball, going and getting it, so that they understand that it’s important,” Stuckwisch said.

Logan Brown is an incoming eighth-grader at White Creek Lutheran who plans to attend Trinity in the fall of 2019. He said several of his teammates at White Creek also attended the camp.

He is attending the camp for the second time.

“I just really love the game of basketball. I want to get better at the game,” Brown said. “I handle the ball some times, and sometimes I’m down low. It’s kind of a mixture. I feel more comfortable inside but I do shoot outside, too. I’ve been working more on my shooting form and ball-handling, handling the ball down low.”

Brown said he played with a Trinity team in a junior high league at Franklin.

Stuckwisch said the second graders shoot on the lower goal.

“We try to keep them within 15-feet or less,” he said. “The older groups can go out a little bit higher. I really don’t like to see the 3-point shot unless they’re maybe sixth graders.

“They can actually handle the ball better and they have enough strength to get it up there with good form.”

With the older group, the camp did more game-type skills.

“We’re doing more 3-on-3, help side defense, more than just guarding 1-on-1, the strategies that they use playing in a regular game,” Stuckwisch said. “There are a few of them that are playing AAU ball. Most of them are from the local grade school teams, Immanuel, Sauers, Lutheran Central and White Creek. We had some from St. Mary’s (North Vernon) and St. Peter’s (Columbus).”

In addition to scrimmaging on Friday, the campers took part in free throw contests, hotshot contests, and 3-point contest for the older group.

“We’ve got a hotshot competition where we put the spots out on the floor, we put time on the clock and they see how many baskets they can make in a certain amount of time, and they’ll be in competition with each other,” Stuckwisch said.

The winners received trophies and the campers enjoyed ice cream sandwiches and other treats.

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