Cuevas, Britton take honors at Blaze hoops camp
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Campers who attended last week’s Blaze Basketball Camp
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Jayden Cuevas, right, won both the hot-shot and free-throw contests. Raelyn Britton won the Blaze Hustle Award.
The halls are largely quiet at Clinton Elementary School in July: No students or teachers are around.
But for three days last week, basketballs bounced against hardwood as the sport returned to CCS as Clinton Blaze boys basketball Coach Jeff Little ran his annual summer basketball camp.
Numbers were down for the event, which took place July 7-9 at Arowood Arena, but Little was still excited about last week.
“Our numbers were a little lower than normal,” he said. “It’s nothing for us to have 30 or 40 kids. This year, we had 12 to 15 kids.
“We did it a little later this year than we normally do because we usually do it right after school’s out. ... But sometimes it’s easier to work when you have a smaller group like that.”
The camp featured instruction in basketball fundamentals, and had various competitions such as a hot-shot contest and a free-throw competition.
Jayden Cuevas won both the hot-shot and free-throw contests.
Cuevas was involved with Blaze basketball last year. But this summer, he used some hot shooting to sweep the contests.
“Last year (Cuevas) was quiet, but he came in and he lit it up,” Little said. “He’s been practicing.”
Raelyn Britton won the Blaze Hustle Award.
While the camp is open to any player who wants to attend, Little said it is the first step to determining potential Blaze players for the coming 2021 season.
“This is always fun, always exciting,” Little said.
“This is just a chance for us to get together and see what we have coming back, and what we got coming in, because in early or mid-August, we’ll have tryouts and then we’ll get rolling.”