Cascade Christian Cougars boys basketball coach Jerry Williams is an old school kind of coach who believes in playing basketball with a keen eye toward details.
Nearly 57 aspiring Cascade Christian Cougars basketball players between first and eighth grade laced up their Air Jordan’s for the Cougars ninth annual youth basketball camp from July 21 to 24 in the CCHS gymnasium.
“We want to completely stress the fundamentals of the game. That’s where it all starts,” Williams said. “It’s the most important aspect of basketball.”
While the majority of players attending camp were from Cascade Christian schools, there was a significant portion of players who came from other schools in the Puyallup region, too.
“Of the 57 players here, we had between 15 to 20 kids who attend public schools around the area,” Williams said. “We’ve had this tournament going on for nine years and I think the most we’ve ever had was 93 players. We typically average between 55 and 65.”
This year, campers were presented with a rare opportunity to listen to guest speaker Lance LaVetter. LaVetter is an assistant coach with the University of Washington men’s basketball program.
“When Lance spoke, he informed the kids that one of the most important aspects of being a good basketball player is being a great listener,” Williams said. “Lance said one of the things that turns coaches off is players that won’t listen. Listening and having a good attitude are things we’re trying to instill in each person at camp.”
The ability to play good defense is also one of Williams’ main themes on the court.
“Our whole program is centered around playing defense,” he said. “It’s a skill a player needs to be proficient in any level of basketball. We’re trying to instill a defensive philosophy at a young age.”
Cougars junior forward Johnny Tveter attended Cougars youth basketball camp from second through eighth grade. Tveter now is one of the coaches giving pointers to young aspiring hoopsters.
“When I was young this camp taught me to never take a play off because the coaches are always watching you,” Tveter said. “I know when I was young I looked up to the coaches so much. I hope these kids here are doing the same thing now because I remember as a kid listening to every single word the coaches said.”
Cougars senior Ryan Read enjoys teaching his favorite sport to the youngsters in attendance as well.
“It’s a lot of fun. I try to share my love of basketball with them,” Read said. “It’s a challenge working with kids. The most important thing is keeping their attention at all times and keeping them from getting distracted. I try to get them to keep their eyes on me.”
Nathan Roosendaal, who will be entering the seventh grade this fall, came out for camp because basketball is his self-proclaimed favorite sport.
“There’s a lot of competition here because you’re going against kids your age,” Roosendaal said. “The games are a lot of fun. I decided to try this out because I like basketball and a lot of my friends from school are here.”
Williams enjoys teaching future Cougars the intricacies of their basketball program at an early age.
“A lot of times later on we see kids at this camp come through our program,” he said. “Johnny (Tveter) was here when he was a little guy and now he’s coaching at the camp. Another great thing is you see the same kids coming year after year. That makes it rewarding knowing they want to be part of the camp each time its offered. They are the future of the Cascade Christian basketball program.”
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