Almost 70 girls from fourth-ninth grade took Clarkston girls basketball coach Tim Wasilk’s challenge and started on the road to their own hoop dreams at the 10th annual Dare to Dream Basketball Camp.
Dare to Dream, the summer counterpart to the seven-week Horizon League in the winter, worked on fundamentals stations as well as one-on-one, lightning and scrimmages.
Each of the seven stations lasted about 10 minutes where girls worked on shooting, ball-handling, rebounding, defense, conditioning, passing, pivoting and one-on-one moves.
‘It’s great to get all the Clarkston girls interested in basketball,? Wasilk said.
‘Some are more experienced than others. You get to see the girls compete and have fun together. You see girls who may be playing in the (Clarkston) program in seventh grade and up and (we) let them know what to expect.?
The camps are competitive, but fun, Wasilk said.
‘I try to mirror what coach (Dan) Fife does with his camps. It’s a matter of getting girls in the gym. They’ll enjoy themselves and have a good time.?
Seeing the girls? improvement as the camp goes on is the most rewarding part of the experience, Wasilk said.
‘That’s satisfying to us because they’re putting in the time to get better. You see their improvement from Monday through Thursday. You can see they’re learning about the game.?
Clarkston varsity basketball player Jena Manilla was one of numerous players helping with the camp. Manilla worked with the girls on speed and agility.
‘Basketball’s a lot about how quickly you can get up and down the floor,? Manilla said.
?(We’re) trying to teach the kids how important it is to have fun and work hard.?
Manilla attended Dare to Dream as a younger player, but this year was her first as an aide.
‘I like the enthusiasm of the kids, they’re so ready to learn,? Manilla said.
Freshman Lindsey Reppuhn spent her third summer with Wasilk and co.
‘It gives me a chance to get out and play and work on my skills,? Reppuhn said.
‘I know in high school you need really good foot-speed, so I really need to work on that.?
‘They’ve got good coaches so they can teach you important things essential to high school basketball,? she said.
Reppuhn said the biggest challenge at the camp for her is fighting the soreness that comes with a good workout.
‘You’ve got to hustle if you want to be good. If you work hard and hustle, you’re going to be sore. You’ve got to play through it,? she said.