By Rick Vacek
GCU News Bureau
Going into their fourth year, the Dan Majerle boys’ basketball camps at Grand Canyon University already have repeat customers.
Even though, for most of them, their only source of income is an allowance and the only driving they do is to the basket.
“I’ve already run into parents who say their kids have been here before and are talking about when they’re coming and how many weeks they get to come. They have a blast,” said Todd Lee, the top assistant to Majerle, GCU's head men's basketball coach.
“We get a lot of kids who come every summer. The camp format is the same, for the most part, so they understand how the camp works. They understand the drills and the competitions and the games we play and the fun we have. After a couple of years, they could almost run the camps themselves. That’s how we want to do it. Sometimes they’ll even correct you and say, ‘No, Coach, we’re supposed to do this.’”
Basketball is one of many summer sports camps on campus from May to July. For information on all the camps and how to register, click here.
This year’s individual basketball camps for boys ages 6-14 are scheduled for June 6-9 and 20-23 on the GCU campus and June 27-30 at Scottsdale Community College. The cost is $220, minus $90 for each additional camp or sibling. To register, go to gcumensbasketballcamps.com.
GCU employees get a $25 discount on the registration fee, and Lee has seen how well that works for them.
“We have a lot of employees who bring their kids to it,” he said. “It’s kind of a nice day because they get to go to work and drop off their kids, who get fed and have a great time and learn a lot about basketball. And when they’re ready to go home, their kids are ready to go.”
Boys who attend the camps get a free T-shirt and catered lunch, individual and team awards, Thunder Club membership, a chance to become a GCU ball boy and an invitation for the family to a special “Camp Night” at a GCU game next season, which will include free tickets and a pregame tailgate.
They also get instruction from Majerle, his staff, his players and current and former pros, including members of the Phoenix Suns. In addition, former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo was on hand last year to address the group.
The popularity of the camps is evident in the attendance numbers. The individual camps drew 415 kids last year, up from 230 in 2014. Counting the prospects camp, for top high school players, and the team camp, for high school teams, more than 1,500 players visited campus last year.
This year’s prospect camp is an overnight event scheduled for June 13-14. The $250 fee covers dinner, breakfast and lunch. The team camps, which guarantee a minimum of five games, are scheduled for June 2-4 and 16-18, at a cost of $425 per team.
Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or [email protected].
