Marshall Mecham
Artesia girls basketball coach Candace Pollard held her third girls basketball camp June 15-17 at the Bulldog Pit.
The camp drew 100 players and was divided into two sessions: kindergartners through fifth-graders attended from 10 a.m. to noon, and sixth- through ninth-graders attended from 1 to 3 p.m. Each session had 50 campers.
Camp is divided by age group
Pollard said separating the campers by age helped coaches focus on player development.
“We split it up to get more isolation and one-on-one with the older girls,” Pollard said. “The young ones also didn’t feel as rushed, so that was nice.”
Players help with the coach’s drills
Pollard’s players also helped coach the camp, which she said benefited both the players and the campers.
“They get to coach the drills that we do as a team, and sometimes it teaches them the drills they may struggle with,” Pollard said. “It’s good for them to work with the little ones and feed into our program.”
Awards recognize campers
Awards were presented at the end of camp for both sessions. Pollard said choosing winners was difficult because of the number of participants and the improvement she saw.
“I think all the campers got better in some capacity, and it was really hard to figure out who was going to win the most improved and the MVP awards,” Pollard said. “By the end, they built their confidence up and sharpened their fundamentals.”
Kindergarten through fifth-grade award winners
Most Improved: Andi Elkins
MVP: Bristol Sandman
Hustle: Amelia Knowlton
Layups: Ellie Elkins
Hot Shot: Saydie Butler
Free throws: Gulia Martini
Sixth- through ninth-grade award winners
Most Improved: Nora Clayton
MVP: Genessi Astorga
Hustle: Kalli Kirkpatrick
Layups: Charley Stroud
Three-pointers: Niyah Medrano
Free throws: Charley Stroud
Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X @mecham_marshall
Marshall Mecham is serving with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship Program, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across New Mexico. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.