Skill Builder Hoop Camp has record-breaking year

Head men’s basketball coach and camp director Clay Nunley talks a camper through a dribbling exercise.

Randolph College’s Skill Builder Hoop Camp has become more popular every summer since the first one was held in 2009. This year, the camp reached its max enrollment, with 102 young hoopsters filling the RAD Center gym each day.

Clay Nunley, the head men’s basketball coach, created the camp six years ago as a way to give back to the community, provide leadership opportunities for his players—all the while sharing his love of the game with children.

“The campers get to know our players personally,” Nunley said. “That’s a big deal for the kids. Our players really value serving in that mentor role and understand the importance of their position as role models for the younger kids at camp. I think both campers and families alike appreciate the time and effort that our staff of assistant coaches and players put forth to make sure it’s been a positive week.”

Brie Holdren ’17 goes over notes with a camper.

The camp is open to girls and boys ages 5-14 and focuses on developing the basics of basketball. In addition to instruction, the campers play in competitions, watch Randolph player demonstrations, and learn important lessons about attitude, sportsmanship, and teamwork.

Men’s basketball players Corey Brown ’16, Jason Eddie ’16, Seth Wimbish ’16, Evan Horn ’16, Reid Jacoby ’18, Keion Robinson ’18, and Brie Holdren ’17, a member of the women’s basketball team, helped Randolph’s men’s basketball coaches run the camp this year.

“I think for anyone involved in our camp – whether they be camp staffers or the campers themselves – each works and plays an important part in making camp a success,” Nunley said. “So it should be a rewarding feeling for everyone who’s ever been involved in our camp in knowing that the camp continues to grow and attract strong interest. We feel very fortunate, and I’m grateful to all those who have been responsible for that.”

A camper goes in for a layup while Evan Horn ’16 (right) looks on.

Horn, a guard on the men’s basketball team, said the support he and his teammates show for the campers is returned during the winter sports season. “A lot of them are local kids and are huge fans of our program,” he said. “We see them at a bunch of our home games, and sometimes they’ll line up and shake hands with us as we’re coming on the court.”

The first chance for Horn and the men’s basketball team to be reunited with their new fans will be November 18, when the WildCats host William Peace for the first home game of the 2015-16 season. The team posted a 13-14 (6-10 ODAC) record for the 2014-15 season, and Nunley said the team’s experienced roster could help them rise in the standings this year.

“We feel good about our group, and the guys are excited,” Nunley added. “We have a lot of experience coming back, but we have to understand how hard we have to work to generate the results that we want.”

For more information about the Skill Builder Hoop Camp, visit http://www.randolphwildcats.com/information/summer_camps. Keep up with the men’s basketball team and all of Randolph’s athletic teams on www.randolphwildcats.com.