UCLA men's basketball coach Ben Howland first brought his youth camp to Pacific Palisades in 2006 and every summer since it has given local children an opportunity to learn the sport from one of the elite coaches in the college game.
This year's camp will be held from June 27 to July 1 at Palisades High School and the Bruins' coach and his staff expect yet another strong turnout. In its first year, the camp drew 124 kids. Last year, 195 kids participated--a testament to the fun the players have and the growing number that come back year after year.
"It's always a lot of fun to see how much they improve from day to day," Howland said. "It all starts with the fundamentals and that's what we stress. I like to bring in some of our [current and former] players to work with the kids, too."
The Ben Howland Basketball Camp is open to boys and girls ages 6-12. Campers will learn the basics of the game--shooting, dribbling, rebounding, passing and defense--and will also have an opportunity to play in three-on-three and five-on-five games. At the end of the final day of camp awards will be presented to first-place teams and players who win various skills contests.
Cost for the five-day camp is $375 per player and space is limited.
On the first day, all campers are required to register with camp staff between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. For the remaining sessions, parents or guardians can drop their kids off at the Palihi gym beginning at 8:15 a.m. Aftercare is an optional service for parents/guardians who are unable to arrange transportation for their sons or daughters at the conclusion of the camp day.
Campers will be divided into three age groups: the SEC Division for grades 1-2; the Pac-10 Division for grades 3-4; and the NBA Division for grades 5-6.
The daily camp schedule is as follows:
9 a.m. -- Camp introduction and roll call.
9:15 a.m. -- Words from Coach Ben Howland.
9:30 a.m. -- Skill development.
11 a.m. -- Competition (3-on-3, 1-on-1, hot shot and free throw shooting).
11:30 a.m. -- Lunch.
12:15 p.m. -- Roll call.
12:30 p.m. -- Guest speaker.
1-2:40 p.m. -- League games (two per day).
3 p.m. -- Signout.
Three ways to enroll in the Ben Howland Basketball Camp:
1. By mail: Payment must be in full. Checks made payable to BCH Camps, P.O. Box 24413, Los Angeles, CA 90024-0413.
2. By fax: (310) 206-3440. Faxed applications must be credit card payments only.
3. Online registration: You will receive an instant email confirmation.
Click here to begin the online registration process.
