By Rob Potter
LOCH SHELDRAKE — A total of 26 boys from around Sullivan County improved their hoops skills last week at the annual Sullivan Generals’ Boys’ Basketball Camp.
The boys honed their dribbling, passing and shooting skills under the tutelage of four coaches: Tim Perry, Paul Clune, Brandon Katz and Corey Ramos.
Perry is the Head Coach of the Sullivan County Community College Men’s Basketball team, while Clune is the Head Coach of the SCCC Women’s Basketball team.
Katz and Ramos are Liberty Central School graduates who now attend SCCC. Both young men are enrolled in SCCC’s Sport Management/Physical Education program.
During the camp, which was held in the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse on the SCCC campus in Loch Sheldrake, the boys – who ranged in age from 9 to 16 – participated in drills and practiced their skills in 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 competitions. They also competed in several contests, including free-throw shooting, a dribble obstacle course and 3-point shooting.
The camp concluded with an awards ceremony on Friday afternoon.
As the ceremony began, Perry thanked all of the parents and guardians for trusting him and his fellow coaches with their sons for the week.
“We had a fun week and a safe week,” Perry said.
Perry went on to explain that he runs a very tough camp. The attendees have fun, but they also work very hard to improve their basketball skills.
“These kids are a great example of the work ethic and talent here in Sullivan County,” Perry said. “Every camper here improved from Monday to Friday.”
Each of the campers received a written evaluation from their coach and an official Sullivan Generals basketball.
The 26 boys who attended the camp were: Brandon Berardi, James Bertholf, Braiden DeGraw, Brandon Dort, Dustin Foertsch, Shakree Gibson, Ryan Henry, Jesse Ierardi, Max Kaplan, Ben Kennedy, Jiron Kevii, Russell Loomis, Trevor Loomis, Jarrett Madison, Jared Malone, Christopher Marciano, Corey McKeon, Ryan McKeon, Kenny Presti, Patrick Ramos, Shane Rennison, Zachary Roberts, Kyle Ruperd, Kuawan Turner, Rakkir Watson and Justin Weintraub.
The award winners were as follows:
1-on-1 Champions: Jesse Ierardi (older group), Jiron Kevii (younger group)
2-on-2 Champions: Kuawan Turner and Patrick Ramos (older group), Brandon Berardi and Justin Weintraub (younger group)
3-on-3 Champions: Braiden DeGraw, Rakkir Watson and Kyle Ruperd (older group), Jiron Kevii, Shane Rennison and Brandon Dort (younger group)
4-on-4 Champions: Zach Roberts, Kuawan Turner, Shakree Gibson, Patrick Ramos and Dustin Foertsch (older group), Jiron Kevii, Brandon Berardi, Brandon Dort, Russell Loomis and Ben Kennedy (younger group)
Hot Shot Champ: Rakkir Watson (older group), Justin Weintraub (younger group)
Free-Throw Competition: Dustin Foertsch (older group), Kenny Presti (younger group)
Free-Throw Champion (All Week): Jesse Ierardi (older group), Jiron Kevii (younger group)
Knockout Champion: Dustin Foertsch, Jesse Ierardi, Rakkir Watson and Jimmy Bertholf (older group)
3-Point Champion: Patrick Ramos (older group), Jiron Kevii (younger group)
Horse Champion: Ryan Henry (older group), Jiron Kevii (younger group)
Around The World: Rakkir Watson (older group), Jiron Kevii (younger group)
Dribble Obstacle Course: Jesse Ierardi (older group)
Mr. Hustle: Jarrett Madison (older group), Brandon Berardi (younger group)
MVP: Kuawan Turner (older group), Justin Weintraub (younger group)
Most Improved: Ryan Henry (older group), Max Kaplan (younger group)
Coach’s Award: Kyle Ruperd (older group), Jiron Kevii (younger group).