By
Sean Joyce
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Olson teaches youngsters the fundamentals of the game
Sean Elliott, Miles Simon and Reggie Geary - three of the most dynamic Wildcats in recent memory - all donned the same oversized Lute Olson Basketball Camp t-shirt as kids.
Nowadays, players come from all corners of the country in an attempt to join the Wildcat elite while making an impression on Olson, UA's silver-haired coaching legend.
Olson has built the basketball program from the ground-up in his 18-year tenure as head coach. Thanks to the success of the program, the camp has become popular for kids from the Tucson area and the rest of the country who wish to improve their game and meet a college hoops legend.
"We have guys from all over, but the majority are Tucson and Phoenix," Olson said. "(We also get kids) from the northwest and a number of kids from California. The furthest campers have come from Japan. Every year, we have kids come up from Mexico. We hit a lot of states."
Olson claims the camp - which is run by UA associate head coach Jim Rosborough and a host local high-school coaches - isn't set up as a pipeline for future Wildcat basketball players, but instead for future students.
"It really doesn't help us that much, but it helps the university tremendously," Olson said. "A lot of them end up coming here to school."
The week-long Lute Olson Basketball Camp is currently in full swing. Eight hundred youngsters, most of who stay and eat on campus, are living the life of the average college student. But instead of sitting through lectures or meeting with their professors, they are learning the proper jump-shot technique.
Olson said he most loves the energy of the younger kids at the camp. Although they may not be as skilled or mature as some of the older campers, Olson says he relishes the opportunity to be a teacher.
"The most fun group is the young guys, because they're so enthusiastic," Olson said. "It's fun to watch them gain enthusiasm for the game and learn the fundamentals. If you get them started right fundamentally, they're going to have a pretty successful time playing the game."
Under Olson and his assistants' watchful eyes , the players assembled in McKale Center yesterday morning went through a series of station drills in order to work on the basic skills of the game.
Not surprisingly, though, most of the campers would rather skip practice and get right to the games.
"I like all the games we play," said Alex McEvoy, a camper from Tucson. "We play 3 games a day."
The youngster also expressed relief over the fact there were no excessive running drills.
"They don't make us run baselines," McEvoy said. "I hate running suicides."
Walking the court during the drills, the enthusiasm of these school-aged children is visible. The campers have the ability to play on the same court that legendary UA players they grew up watching graced.
McEvoy summed up his dreams as well as many other campers.
"Pretty much everyone wants to play at UA," he said.
Olson, while skeptical of the chances that any of the campers may be the next Sean Elliott, isn't willing to rule out the possibility.
"Basketball is different from a lot of sports - if a kid has got it, you can see it in a matter of minutes," Olson said. "How he moves, how he handles himself (and) the confidence that he plays with (are noticeable). It's hard to tell; there are some good players in the camp. How they develop, we'll have to see."
