Cottey Comets host basketball camp for local youth in Nevada

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Last week, the Cottey Comets basketball team hosted a summer basketball camp for future basketball players in the Nevada area. Dr. Maryann Mitts, who is the Comets Head Coach along with being the Athletic Director for Cottey College, was running the show and teaching some young stars on what to do.

“Traditionally all college basketball programs conduct summer camps,” said Coach Mitts on why the Comets hosted the camp. “During my 18 years as a head coach at the collegiate level, running camps was a typical summer endeavor. Coming to Cottey, running summer camps was a given. The fact that this happens to be the first year ever is somewhat surprising, yet very exciting. The camps are intended to serve the Nevada and surrounding communities, but also provides a fundraising stream to help supplement our basketball program."

Mitts also explained the ages of kids who were attending the basketball camp. “The grade level for this camp is from kindergarten all the way up to senior in high school. Our camps are divided by age. Our Lil’ Comet Camp consists of girls and boys kindergarten through fourth grade while our Young Player’s Camp is for girls and boys fifth through eighth grade. We offered a one night high school camp and a one day shooting camp for those in fourth through 12th grade. Typically, each group is not only similar in age, but also in skill level and physical development. The same drills are used in each camp with modifications made for the younger campers. A first grader is very capable of throwing a chest pass and dribbling a basketball the length of the court. The difference lies in the accuracy and speed at which it is performed.”

Even though Cottey College is an all girl school, the boys could even join the camp to learn some new things. Mitts proves this by saying, “The game of basketball is the same for both girls and boys. The same skills, fundamentals and strategies are taught to girls and boys. In essence, basketball is basketball. At the elementary and middle school level, the skill level and physical development is comparable, thus it is acceptable to have both in the same camp. The same is not true for high school athletes. We wanted this camp to be offered to all youth in the area. It just made sense to include both girls and boys.”

Finally, when asked about future camps, Mitts told Nevada Daily Mail that there will be more in the future. “Our camps will continue to be offered every June. As our camps continue to grow, we will look to add more sessions and make our Young Player’s camp an overnight camp. Cottey has tremendous suites and a phenomenal dining hall that can accommodate a large number of campers. It is our mission to be the Best Instructional Camp in the Midwest. It’s the same camp we ran at Missouri Southern for over a decade, now that camp is offered in Nevada.”

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