On Hoops And Life Gonzaga Basketball Camp Stresses Teamwork, ‘Trying Your Best’

Blue-and-white rubber basketballs bounced off walls, bleachers and the occasional head inside the gym at Gonzaga University’s Martin Centre on Monday.

But no one got upset.

In fact, there were plenty of laughs and high-fives exchanged at the inaugural GTE Wireless-Gonzaga University Youth Basketball Clinic even though many cross-over dribbles and layups went awry.

Nearly 250 first- through eighth-grade boys and girls attended the free, two-hour clinic. Gonzaga men’s and women’s basketball players instructed the would-be Michael Jordans and Lisa Leslies on the finer points of hoops technique.

There were drills on shooting free throws, handling the ball and defense. The kids, many wearing Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic jerseys, soaked it up.

But basketball really wasn’t the point, according to Dan Fitzgerald, coach of the Gonzaga men’s team.

“We can’t teach these kids to be basketball players in an hour and a half,” Fitzgerald said. “We can teach them a few other things, though.”

Like how to get along, how to work as a team, how to try your best.

Fitzgerald pointed to the fact that the clinic was held on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

“What better way to celebrate it than to do it in the spirit of sport and teamwork and friendship,” he told the kids at the end of the event. “I want you to take what you learned here today back to your school, your neighborhood and your friends.”

Fitzgerald hopes to hold the clinic annually on MLK day.

The clinic also was a learning experience for the Gonzaga players, who were solely responsible for running the drills, answering questions and being ambassadors for the game and the university.

“This is a great opportunity for our kids to give something back,” Fitzgerald said. “For a lot of the modern athletes, too often it’s just a take deal. Part of our mission as an institution should be outreach.”

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