Jake Mickelson looks like he is having way too much fun. He often does when it comes to kids and the game of basketball and bringing the two together, one can see the joy of it written on his face.

Best of all, although he would probably gladly do anything involved with basketball for free, he actually gets paid to do it too.

Mickelson’s unabashed love for the game was on full display last week at the 2026 Blue Hawk basketball camp at Thompson Falls High School Monday through Thursday, where he once again served as camp director, having served in that role for many years now.

The head coach of the Thompson Falls Blue Hawk boys basketball team, teacher at TFHS and the father of three young ball-playing boys in real life, Mickelson was assisted in running this year’s camp by new Thompson Falls girls coach Brady Ovitt and a large group of current and former Blue Hawk players, many of whom also attended this very camp as kids themselves.

A few there probably had at least 10 of these Blue Hawk hoop camps under their belts by now.

The hoop circle goes unbroken for those Hawks and former Hawks, the future Hawks and for Mickelson. He was at it again, working his hoop magic when found last week, leading the latest crew of campers and former campers through their paces Tuesday morning at TFHS.

“I really appreciate their help and they like doing it, and I like getting the chance to hang around with them again,” Mickelson said of the players and ex-players who were there to help out. "I think they enjoy seeing the kids having fun and learning to play basketball better.”

Kind of sounds like sharing the love of the game can pay fringe benefits for all those involved.

After leading the second and third grade players through a series of entertaining drills and wrapping up the morning session of instruction Tuesday, Mickelson gathered the youngsters at midcourt for a postgame chat of sorts, encouraging the boys and girls there to enjoy the game as much as he does, to work at it and learn how to be better at it, as an individual and as the teams they would later become. The kids were leaning in hard, listening to him, taking in every word.

Around him, the players and former players also formed a circle around the group and couldn’t help but listen in again, as they had before themselves as second and third graders in the years before. Knowing smiles crossed some of their faces as they listened in, you could tell coach had hooked yet another generation of ballers on the game he loves so much.

FITTINGLY, MICKELSON spent the weekend with a lot more basketball after the camp concluded, guiding and watching his three young sons play in the Wildhorse Shootout (on three different teams!) Saturday, and then joining his high school players as they played in an offseason boys tournament in Charlo Sunday.

With many of the same players that had helped out at the Blue Hawk hoop camp last week, Thompson Falls ended up winning second place in the Charlo tournament.

FOOTBALL IS ALIVE AND WELL in Hot Springs and Plains for this coming fall according to reliable sources. Those reliable sources ought to know as they are head coaches Jim Lawson of Hot Springs and Mike Tatum of Plains.

Lawson recently told the Valley Press that he has nine prospective players for the Savage Heat as Hot Springs enters another season of 6-Man play this fall, and coach Mike Tatum said that he and several Horsemen players have attended football camps recently getting ready for the upcoming season of 8-Man football for Plains.

Thompson Falls is the only school in this coverage area to play 11-Man football at the Class B level. Superior and St. Regis play 8-Man football and Noxon and Alberton 6-Man.

    SHOOTING TO WIN – Eager to play the game, basketball campers take aim at the basket to see who can score first. During this drill, the object of the game was to not be the last in the group to make a basket in order to move on to the next round. The Blue Hawk basketball camp ran from Monday through Thursday at TFHS last week. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)
  

    DRIBBLE DRILL – Young basketball camp players intently follow dribbling instructions from Thompson Falls high school player Tristan Kelly during the Blue Hawk basketball camp at TFHS gym June 16. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)