When you think of sports during the summertime, you always think of the baseball diamond and the sound of the pop of a bat and the cheer of the crowd. You think of boats whizzing by pulling water skiers and tubers. You think of a hot sweltering gym and the sound of a basketball being dribbled down the court. Well … maybe not the last one, but that’s what fans were all about last week in Smithville.
The DeKalb County High School Tigers Boys Basketball team was on the court last week as they hosted their annual basketball camp. The two-day event had hoops fans spread out at four different gyms as teams from around the region played some fast-paced games.
“We’ve had 24 high school teams come in over the last two days,” Tigers Head Coach John Sanders told the Smithville Review. “We’ve got a lot of good competition up here. Our varsity team has played three games on Thursday, and ended up playing four games on Friday.”
The two-day event was held June 17-18, giving the teams some needed experience on the court, as well as providing a fund raising opportunity for the Tigers. “It’s been good for us,” Coach Sanders said. “To get some experience and to play, and to get some money in. It’s a fund raiser we normally do every year. Obviously we didn’t get to do it last year because of COVID, but this year has been the biggest it’s ever been. We’re running four gyms, making some money, and getting some experience.”
The basketball camp was so big it had to be held at four different locations this year, at the high school gym, the middle school’s main and auxiliary gyms, and the Life Enrichment Center gym at the First Baptist Church in Smithville. “They have a really nice gym, and they were nice enough to let us use it,” Sanders explained. “We really appreciate them letting us use that.”
“This is the fifth high school camp I’ve done,” Coach Sanders continued. “We usually do a middle school camp, but this is the biggest high school camp we’ve ever done, with the most teams we’ve ever had.”
Sanders said that the money raised during the event goes toward helping the team pay for all the gear and other things they may need during the year. “It’s a pretty big fundraiser, and it keeps us from having to spend money to go play.”
Among the Tigers’ opponents during the camp was a familiar face to DeKalb Countians. Monterey faced off with the Tigers on Thursday with head coach Lynus Martin at courtside. The Tigers had a good showing during their games, coming away with several wins.
