Drills, Contests, and Pizza - All In A Day’s Basketball Camp

The basketballs fly up toward the basket, ricocheting off the rim, dropping in the hoop or missing the basket entirely. Some of the younger boys strugged to heave the ball up while the older boys practiced three-pointers.

It was the weeklong rec basketball camp led by longtime EG basketball fixture Don Bowen, held at East Greenwich High School.

R.J. Casey, 12, will be in the seventh grade at Cole Middle School this year. He’s hoping to make the Cole basketball team.

“The best part was just playing against the older kids,” said Casey, “because playing with the better players makes you better.”

Awards for a variety of skills were given out at the end of the week. Kyle Matus, 14, got two of them: for hitting the most three-pointers in a minute (15) and for the highest number of sunk free throws out of 10 (8).

“The drills helped,” said Matus, who was there for the first time. “The scrimmages and games were good too. They take everything you’ve learned to the next level.”

For some, it was about having fun as much as playing basketball. "We do contests, which are fun and can help you get better," said 12-year-old Jacob Manchester.

In addition to Coach Bowen, a few EGHS alum were on hand helping out. Sarah Glover, fresh off a six-week stint managing the playground rec camp, is back doing the basketball camp for a third year.

“I love being with all the kids,” Glover said. “It’s different than regular [playground] camp. We play one-on-one and if they beat me, I buy them a drink at lunch.”