Big turnout for youth camp

Published 12:00 am Monday, June 8, 2015

It was a big turnout for LaGrange Academy’s youth basketball camp that wrapped up on Friday. Kevin Eckleberry | Daily News

They packed the gym.

LaGrange Academy boys’ basketball coach Britt Gaylor held a youth basketball camp last week, and nearly 50 boys and girls participated.

The five-day camp wrapped up on Friday, with all of the campers showing off their new camp T-shirts.

“This is my third year doing it, and it has grown every year,” Gaylor said. “We had 25 kids the first year, 32 the second, and now we have 49 kids this year. It’s been good to watch it grow.”

Gaylor had plenty of help.

In addition to the current players on his team, some former LaGrange Academy players were also serving as instructors, including current University of Georgia baseball player Drew Moody, who transferred to LaGrange High from LaGrange Academy before his junior season.

“We’ve had guys that graduated helping out,” Gaylor said. “And all my current players, too, are helping out. It’s good to have that. That’s the best way to learn is to teach it, and they’re out here coaching them, and they learn that way.”

The campers were in the gym for four hours each day from Monday through Friday, and Gaylor said “they’ve been working hard. They had a lot of fun. It’s been good.”

Next week, Gaylor will turn his attention back to coaching the players on his LaGrange Academy team.

Gaylor will be taking his players out of state for a basketball camp next weekend.

“We’ve been practicing, and we’ve got some play dates next week, and we’re going to the University of South Carolina for a team camp next week,” Gaylor said. “It’ll be nice to get to experience another college campus, and play some tough competition. That’ll help us.”

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 (ext. 232) or on Twitter @lagrangesports