Basketball camps help develop players; serve Socorro youth

There is a certain advantage that small, close-knit communities such as Socorro have when it comes to athletics.

Those who choose to participate in sports at a young age are given the benefit of developing with, and playing with, a specific group of kids their age through middle school and on into high school. And the results of that advantage have undoubtedly shown in the past few years at Socorro High School, as several teams have made appearances in state competition and have met some success.

During the summer, several teams keep with that theme by hosting off-season workouts and camps. In June, Socorro High School girls head basketball coach Marleen Greenwood has taken her turn to host two separate camps for players of all ages.

On Sunday, June 3, through Wednesday, June 6, Greenwood hosted offensive and defensive development camps for any girls in seventh through 12th grades, and from June 18 to June 20, she hosted a Lil’ Warrior Basketball camp for any child in grades three through eight.

Greenwood said that in 2011, she hosted a team camp for the varsity and junior varsity squads and it was a success, so this year’s camp focused on offensive and defensive specifics.

That camp was attended by 10 varsity and junior varstiy teams, and the Lady Warriors varsity bunch also attended a camp in Pojoaque.

These summer camps, which have been running for more than 20 years, not only give kids an organized avenue for honing their skills and simply having fun, but they also allow Greenwood’s teams the opportunity for more time on the court together.

“I saw the team gain some knowledge and mature over the last month,” Greenwood said in an email.

Socorro’s first day of summer basketball was May 29, and the head coach says her girls have put in time and hard work since then.

“I’m very optimistic on the upcoming season,” she said. “I hope that we can continue to build on the parts of the game that we developed and implemented this summer.”

And again, the camps aren’t intended solely to cater to the needs of Lady Warriors basketball players. Greenwood pointed out that there are a limited amount of summer basketball camps for local youth, and that’s a big part of the reason they host the camps.

“I felt it would be a service to our community to give local youth the opportunity to attend a basketball camp that was of easy access and affordable,” she said.

And in turn, her players are afforded the chance to develop leadership skills, as well giving a little something back to Socorro’s youth.

“It’s also a great opportunity for my players to give back to the community that provides them with so much support, as well as a means for them to share their knowledge and skills of the game of basketball,” Greenwood said.