My Time at the UWGB Basketball Camp
So, I decided to check out this UWGB basketball camp thing I heard about. Sounded like a decent way to get some exercise, you know? Haven’t really played seriously in ages, but figured why not.
First thing was just getting registered. Filled out some forms online, pretty straightforward stuff. Then I had to dig out my old basketball shoes from the back of the closet. Found some shorts and a couple of t-shirts. Grabbed my water bottle. Felt kind of like getting ready for school gym class back in the day.
Showed up at the Kress Events Center on the first day. Big place. Lots of energy already, mostly younger guys, but a few older folks like me scattered around. Found the check-in table, got my name tag, and headed towards the courts.
Getting Started
We started with warm-ups. Jogging laps around the court, stretching. The usual routine. Felt okay, a bit stiff maybe. The coaches introduced themselves, seemed like good guys, knew their stuff. They split us up into smaller groups based on age or maybe skill, hard to tell exactly.
Then came the drills. Man, the drills.
- Dribbling: We did basic dribbling drills. Right hand, left hand, crossovers. Trying not to look down at the ball. My handle felt super rusty at first. Lost the ball a couple of times.
- Passing: Chest passes, bounce passes. Practiced passing while moving. Focused on making crisp passes. Threw a few wild ones, gotta admit.
- Shooting: Lots of form shooting close to the basket. Then moved back for jump shots. Trying to remember the basics – elbow in, follow through. Clanked quite a few off the rim. Felt good when one actually swished through, though.
Into the Flow
After the initial drills, things picked up. We ran through some simple offensive plays. Setting screens, cutting to the basket. It was pretty basic stuff, but good to run through the motions. My lungs were definitely feeling it by this point.
We did some 3-on-3 and later full 5-on-5 scrimmages. This was the most fun part, but also the most tiring. Just running up and down the court. Tried to play some defense, stay in front of my guy. Got beat a couple of times. Offensively, mostly passed the ball, took a shot when I was open. Didn’t score much, but wasn’t really trying to be the hero out there.
The coaches were pretty active during the games. Shouting instructions, encouragement. Correcting mistakes but keeping it positive. It was loud in the gym with all the games going on.
Water breaks were essential. Gulped down water, caught my breath. Chatted a bit with some of the other guys in my group. Mostly just nodding and saying “tough drill” or something like that.
Wrapping Up
By the end of the session each day, I was properly tired. Legs felt heavy, bit sweaty. We usually finished with some cool-down stretches and a final word from the coaches. They’d recap the day, maybe give some final tips.
Overall, it was a solid experience. Didn’t magically become a star player or anything, obviously. But it felt good to just get out there, run around, and work on some basketball skills again. Pushed myself a bit physically. It was pretty much what I expected – some drills, some games, a good workout. Yeah, glad I went and did it.
