By Paul Coro
GCU News Bureau
Basketball-loving kids picture themselves playing at a college, hanging with other college players and meeting former pros.
The opportunity to do that comes with the Grand Canyon University men’s basketball camps. The Lopes men’s basketball staff is putting on three individual player camps in June as well as high school team camps in May and June.
“Our staff is excited to get going with our summer basketball camps,” said Jesse Parker, Director of Basketball Operations for GCU men’s basketball. “We always enjoy having the kids come to campus. Our hope is that in their time with us, each kid takes something home that will help them become a better basketball player on the court.”
The individual camps are scheduled for June 3-6 and June 17-20 at the GCU Basketball Practice Facility, Lopes Performance Center and either GCU Arena or Antelope Gymnasium, depending on the week, and there also is a June 24-27 camp tentatively scheduled for Mesa Community College. They are open to ages 6 to 14 and will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day with lunches, T-shirts, awards, Jr. Lopes Club memberships, GCU ball boy opportunities and a Camper Appreciation Game during the 2019-20 Lopes season included.
GCU head coach Dan Majerle, who values camps as the spark of his love for the game, joins his staff and players to conduct the day camps with visits from guest speakers, which have included current or former Phoenix Suns players in the past. The daily work will include drills, demonstrations, competition, individual instruction and tournament games.
The June 3-6 camp costs $255, the June 17-20 camp is $245 if registered by June 4 and the June 24-27 camp is $265 if registered by June 11. GCU employees receive a $25 discount. There is a $90 discount for anyone registering for multiple camps or additional siblings.
“Our goal is to provide a safe, positive environment for kids to work with our staff and players to develop a love for the game of basketball,” Parker said.
The staff also is staging team camps on May 31-June 1 and June 13-15 at $430 per team. The high school teams are guaranteed five games and a camp-ending tournament.
Complete information on all of the camps is available at https://www.gcumensbasketballcamps.com/individual-summer-camps.cfm. Inquiries can be directed to Parker at [email protected].
Contact Paul Coro at (602) 639-6841 or [email protected].
