Hooping with the Cougars
IU Kokomo offering two weeks of basketball camp
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The Student Activities and Events Center at Indiana University will be filled with the sounds of bouncing balls next week. It’s time for the 7th Annual IU Kokomo Cougars Basketball Camps. According to men’s basketball coach Eric Echelbarger, the two-week event is a perfect opportunity for young players to improve their game.
“We have two camps, so you can either come for a half day or a full day,” said Echelbarger. “From July 14-17, you can come in the morning to the Skills Camp from 9 a.m. until noon, or you can go to the Competitive Edge Camp in the afternoon from 1-4 p.m. Or you can do both. From July 21-24, we have Guard and Shooting Camps.”
There is a supervised lunch break between the two sessions for campers taking advantage of the full day. These camps are designed for boys in fifth through ninth grade. However, the Cougars are also offering a skills camp for boys in first through fourth grades from 4:30-6:30 p.m. each day across both weeks.
“They get to interact with our players and our coaches, and they get a lot of individual attention,” said Echelbarger. “We have a nice facility and a healthy environment where we work with them on their skills, but we want them also to have fun with the game.”
In the skills camp, players will work on the fundamentals of basketball in a station setting. They’ll work on ball handling, shooting, passing, and reading situations on the court. And there will be a competitive component as well.
“That might be five on five or three on three,” said Echelbarger. “It might be a contest situation with different goals. We try to make it a good mix, so it's not all playing all the time. It's not doing drills all the time. We’ll also have our players speaking on some topics. And we will show videos that reinforce what we’re demonstrating.”
The Competitive Edge Camp puts the skills the boys learn into practice.
“We try to make our teams even,” said Echelbarger. “You're going to come here and get walloped. We're going to teach them how to play the right way. We'll give them a lot of reps in a positive environment, no matter what your skill level is.
“We accommodate all skill levels very well, and it's fun to see the growth. You see the light go off in them, and they start enjoying the game, which that's why we do the camps.”
The competitive aspect of the camp will not always be head-to-head, Echelbarger explained. Part of the plan is to have the kids challenge themselves, setting goals and reaching or exceeding them.
“How many layups can you hit in a minute?” asked Echelberger. “How many times out of out of 20 passes can you hit the hit the target? That’s the competition against yourself, the challenge.”
The cost of the camp is $95 for a week of Skills Camp for grades 1-4 or grades 5-9. A week of Competitive Edge Camp for boys in grades 5-9 is also $95. Boys can sign up for both camps for $190.
The Guard Camp and Shooting Camp from July 21-24 for boys in grades 5-9 are also $95, as is the Skills Camp for boys in grades 1-4 on July 21-24.
Registration for the 2025 IU Kokomo Basketball Camp is now open. The brochure for the camps can be found at http://bit.ly/4hMGXV4 while the registration form can be found at http://bit.ly/4hK7IJX. Reach out to Coach Echelbarger 812-480-3614 with any questions.