For more than a decade, local girls have spent parts of their summers learning the game of basketball from one of the region’s most experienced high school coaches.
In year No. 11, Bishop Fenwick girls basketball coach Adam DeBaggis’ summer camp once again offered a blend of competition, instruction, and player development for players ages 9-14.
“It went really well. We had a little bit lower numbers than the last two years. We had 60 the last two years . . . only 40 this year,” DeBaggis said. “It was still really good. It gave us some leeway. It gave us the chance to give more individually.”
With fewer participants, the entire camp was held indoors — a welcome change from previous years when outdoor hoops were needed to fit all players.
“With the weather, it was probably better we didn’t have to go outside,” DeBaggis said.
Throughout the week, campers took part in a variety of activities, including skill drills, scrimmages, and film study.
“We mix between most camp drills, scrimmaging, and instructions, but we also give them notes and film when we go into the classroom,” DeBaggis said. “We show them films and show what they should be trying to replicate. We show clips of Caitlin Clark shooting. We’ll show them clips of really good passers. When we speak about team defense, we’ll show them clips of our varsity team and have the kids determine if we were playing good team defense. I think they love it.”
The camp has evolved over the years, shifting from a fundamentals-only approach to one that mirrors the type of situational work DeBaggis uses with his varsity players.
“We have more competitive drills. We give them competitive situations similar to what I do with the varsity team,” he said. “We’ll do situations where the game is tied and there’s one minute left in the fourth quarter. We actually had a camper hit a last-second half-court shot. The kids went wild – it was a lot of fun.”
Many of Fenwick’s current varsity players attended the camp in years’ past. That includes standout Caitlin Boyle – one of the top players in the state.
“She was in fifth or sixth grade when she came to the camp,” DeBaggis said. “Celia Neilson, Abby Jenkins, Reese Spurchise, and Kyleigh Pidgeon are just some of the names that were at the camp and now on the team.”
DeBaggis has watched players like Pidgeon improve their games across several summers.
“She was in seventh grade and did nothing but foul,” DeBaggis said with a laugh. “She was a bit out of control and then, fast forward — she came back to the camp as such a controlled and really good player. I was surprised by the progress.”
