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closeValley basketball camp gives players a chance to shine
Puyallup girls basketball coach Dan Picha stresses fundamentals of basketball at third annual youth hoops camp in PHS gymnasium
Shaun Scott
When most people think of goggles, they think of sports involving the water. Puyallup Vikings girls basketball coach Dan Picha doesn’t believe water sports are the only place for goggles.
In Picha’s world, goggles were a major part of the third annual Puyallup Valley basketball camp for girl basketball players between third and ninth grade, hosted from July 15 to 17 in the Puyallup High School gymnasium.
“We have them wear goggles in a few of our dribbling drills,” Picha said. “With goggles it blocks their vision so they can’t look at the floor or look at their hands while they dribble the ball upcourt. The goggles force players to dribble with their head up.”
In addition to the dribbling drill with goggles, Picha’s camp acknowledged the importance of honing one of the most important aspects of the game of basketball — quickness.
“Basketball is a quick kind of game, it doesn’t matter if it’s your first step on offense or on the defensive side of the court where you try to take someone’s path to the basket away. Quickness is a big deal. Basketball is an explosive sport.”
Puyallup Vikings girls basketball varsity player Regen Picha enjoyed teaching the finer aspects of the game to aspiring Vikings players.
“For the younger kids under sixth grade this is focused on having them come out and enjoy the game.,” Regen Picha said. “We want those athletes to get in as much experience as they can. For the older players who are in junior high it reinforces the fundamentals of the game.”
Katie Giltner, who will be an eighth grader at Kalles Junior High School this fall, enjoyed learning from one of Puyallup’s most successful coaches.
“I’m really glad he (Picha) is putting on these camps,” Giltner said. “I get to learn new basketball skills here and get to improve on the ones I already had.”
Picha said he couldn’t have put on the camp without the hard work and dedication of a multitude of current Puyallup Vikings girls basketball players.
“When they (current Vikings players) are out here they have an opportunity to teach what our coaching staff is trying to implement in our own program. By helping younger players with the fundamentals of the game, they’re reinforcing those fundamentals for themselves as well. The fundamentals are being engraved into their own games as well.”
Picha said high school players volunteering their time at camp can rack up community service hours for their senior projects as well.