The 24th Annual Network Hoops Basketball Camp 2012

Now in its 24th year, Network Hoops Basketball Day Camp has established itself as one of the premier sports camps in the UK. Camp will be held this year between Monday 23rd July to Friday 27th July 2012 at Wodson Park Sports Centre, Ware, Hertfordshire. The camp runs from 9am to 4pm Monday through to Thursday and from 9am to 9pm on Friday. The camp costs £100 for primary school children and £110 for secondary school aged campers. Don’t forget to download the brochure and application form at the bottom of the page and to check out photos from previous years on our Flickr page!

Camp Philosophy

The focus of Basketball Camp is very simple: have fun, whilst learning the fundamental skills of basketball!

Camp is open to boys and girls aged between 8 and 18 years old. Campers are arranged into ability groups when learning skills and playing games. Part of what makes the camp so unique however is the great level of interaction between older and younger campers throughout the week.

Camp History

The Annual Network Hoops Basketball Day Camp at Wodson Park began in 1988, which was before the sports centre in Ware, Hertfordshire, was even officially opened! From those humble beginnings, which saw 45 campers playing on two courts that were marked with tape, the camp has grown to such an extent that in recent years as many as 150 campers have packed into the sports centre!

Staff

Network Hoops is headed up by Camp Director, Lloyd Gardner. Former Junior International player, Lloyd Gardner is currently the Director of Basketball Operations at Barking Abbey School. A England Basketball Level 3 coach, Lloyd was a member of the Great Britain Senior Women’s coaching staff with responsibility for game scouting and has worked with the England U16 Mens team. He has considerable international experience having working European camps including the Nike Without Borders Camp and takes a led role on the placement of Barking Abbey students in US universities. As a player Lloyd played professionally for the London Towers and London Leopards, and spent two years on scholarship at university in the USA before completing his education in the UK.

Camp founder Roy Birch is also likely to make a guest appearance during the week. Roy was one of the prime movers in getting Wodson Park built and substantially extended, and he coached the England and Great Britain Women’s basketball teams in the early 1980s. Nowadays,  Roy can be regularly heard on Eurosport and Fibatv.com providing commentary on European and Worldwide basketball.

Coaching staff members are highly qualified and are selected based on their experience, dedication to the development of basketball and their ability to ensure that campers experience a maximum level of enjoyment.

Typical Schedule

Basketball Camp runs for five days in the summer. The first four days begin at 9am and end at 4pm. Campers are divided into age and ability groups:

• The youngest are put in the NCAA.
• Younger secondary school campers are in FIBA.
• Older, more experienced campers are put in the NBA and WNBA groups.

A typical daily programme includes drills, stations, competitions and general technical improvement. Coaching focuses on the development of fundamental skills including ball handling, passing, dribbling, defending and shooting.

Campers can put these skills into practice in matches, competitions and tournaments. Positive attitudes and hard work are of course very much encouraged!

Friday is tournament day! Teams consist of players from the NCAA, FIBA and NBA/WNBA, with special incentives for team-work! (NCAA score triple and the girls score double!). The tournament ends with a grand final, which is played on the Wodson Park National League court in front of the campers' friends and family.

The last action of the camp is the presentation ceremony. There are awards for the Most Improved, Most Promising, and Most Valuable Players from each ability group, and awards from the coaches.

Syracuse Prize

The highlight of the award ceremony is the announcement of the name of the winner of the big prize: an all expenses-paid trip to Syracuse, New York, in the USA! Male winners attend the Big Orange Basketball Camp at Syracuse University and female winners attend the Le Moyne College Camp in Syracuse. To date, 18 campers have won this fabulous prize and every one has had a truly memorable experience. It is always very difficult to decide which camper is worthy of the trip to Syracuse. The crucial criteria include:

• Contribution towards overall camp life.
• A desire to learn and improve.
• The probability of making a major contribution towards British basketball.
• The ability to act as an outstanding ambassador for Ware and Great Britain.

Sign Up for Basketball Camp

To secure a place on Camp 2012, complete the application form and send it, together with a deposit of £35 to:

Network Hoops, West Acres, Westmill Road, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 0EW

Please make your cheque payable to ‘Network Hoops’. The camp costs £100 for primary school children and £110 for secondary school aged campers. The balance of £65 or £75 must be sent to the same address by June 30th 2012. When you have paid your deposit, you will receive confirmation of your place on Camp 2012.

Download Brochure and Application Form