Elite coaching at Hurricanes’ summer camp gets players primed for the coming season

Members of the Huntsville Hurricanes boys teams had the opportunity to up their game this summer. A three-day camp organized by local coach Chris Nikiforuk featured Pelham Panthers coach and No Limit Performance trainer Mike Hurley. (Last week, Hurley was named interim head coach of the Niagara College men’s basketball program.)

From August 15-17, 35 players in grades four through 11 – most of them from the Hurricanes rep and house league teams, some from further afield who are cottagers or visiting family – gathered in the Huntsville High School gym for some next-level skills development. (A girls’ camp was held earlier in the month.)

“This is a big deal for their growth,” said Nikiforuk, who played high school basketball with Hurley in the Niagara region. “Having a college-level coach raises the bar for instruction and it’s a good opportunity for the kids if they are serious about sports. It gives them a bigger picture of the game of basketball.”

Hurley agreed. “I think it’s huge (for player development) almost more important than anything else, and this is the time to be doing it,” he said. “During the season, coaches tend to focus on the competition side of the game, so this is a great time to develop as a player and learn new concepts. We do skill development first and concepts second before we start playing the game. They learn to be better basketball players both individually and as teammates.”

The instruction is geared toward the top players in the camp, and is modified for the younger or less experienced players with the help of Nikiforuk, and fellow coaches Martha Lapp and Todd Truax. “We push (the more experienced players) and then we modify for the younger kids so they might just do a little less or do it at their own pace, especially when we’re doing skill development,” said Hurley.

Regardless of their skill level going into the camp, the 35 players who participated will come out with both new skills and new friends.

“The offseason work that the kids do really ups their game in the fall and improves all their skills,” said Lapp, who noted that the camp has grown year over year. “We are thrilled with (the turnout).”

Seth Cooper (left) and Spencer Hewitt encourage younger players to keep practicing and building their skills

Two of the more experienced players, Seth Cooper and Spencer Hewitt, both 15, participated and also helped to coach the younger kids. Both play for the Huntsville High School Hoyas and Cooper also plays for the Hurricanes, Northern Ontario and Next Level in Barrie.

“When I was younger I looked up to the guys who are my age now so it’s good to be that for someone else,” said Cooper, who hopes to play basketball at the university level in the U.S.

“It’s pretty fun to help little kids out to play basketball and teach them how to shoot and play defense,” added Hewitt, who also wants to play college ball. His advice to younger players? Keep practicing. “My mom always told me, if you want to be better than LeBron James, you’ve got to keep practicing.”

Registration for the Hurricanes 2017 season will begin in September. Watch huntsvillehurricanes.ca for details.

The club is also hoping to run another 3-on-3 tournament this fall following its success in the spring. (Read about the spring tournament on Doppler here.)

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