QUINCY – The Quincy Lady Jacks Basketball team will be hosting a Jr Jacks basketball camp July 28 and 29. The camp will be open to both boys and girls in third through eighth grade. 

“Me and our (head coach) Johan Farias, we are just trying to get a camp together for the community,” said Lady Jacks assistant basketball coach Gonzalo Guerrero. “We haven’t had a high school camp out here in a while and this is our first year taking over the program. 

The cost for entry is $40, which will cover the shirts and help raise money for the basketball program in Quincy. He said all are welcome regardless of skill level and they are inviting boys and girls within and around the Quincy community to join in the camp. 

“We’re just trying to bring the basketball atmosphere back into the community and give back,” said Guererro. “We really just want to show the community what our girls have been doing during the summer, what they’ve been working on, and we they just want to share their knowledge with the youth.” 

Those attending the camp will be led by the Lady Jacks high school basketball players along with some players from the boys' team. Guerrero said they will focus on teaching and developing essential basketball skills such as defensive strategy, footwork, positioning, shooting and dribbling with aspects of teamwork, communication, leadership, sportsmanship and building onto basketball IQ and game strategy built into the schedule. 

Guerrero said this camp will be a great opportunity for the Lady Jacks to pick up on the responsibility aspect of the game by coaching the younger players. 

“It’s one thing to be coached and it’s another to be a coach, so we’re trying to build those leadership qualities amongst our girls,” he said. “And then build a bit more community amongst basketball here in Quincy.” 

The camp also allows the younger members of the community to meet role models from the high school that they can look up to, said Guerrero. This also prepares the youth for what to expect for high school basketball ahead of time. 

The most important aspect of the camp for Guerrero is to ensure that everyone is on the same page from youth all the way up to the high school level.  

“I think it will set a foundation for the youth on how we run our high school programs and also just build some confidence amongst them,” he said. “Give them that confidence and let them know that they can do it and to not be afraid to come out here.” 

    Lady Jacks players are joined by other basketball players in the state at the Eastern Washington University camp. The Lady Jacks will be joined by players from the boys basketball team in helping train the youth players at the junior camp.
  

    Two Lady Jacks players stand together during their training camp back in June. Jacks assistant coach Gonzalo Guerrero said he wants to give youth players the opportunity to meet the high school players in hopes they will act as role models for them.