Campers are used to Thunder Youth Basketball Coordinator Keeton Peery bringing the room to a hush and delivering instructions for the next drill. Last Thursday at the Thunder Junior Youth Basketball Camp, however, there was a different voice booming out the upcoming lesson plan.
NBA basketball has been in Oklahoma now for the better part of a decade, and part of the Thunder’s initiative has been to help grow the love for the game throughout the state. A portion of that process comes from Thunder Youth Basketball Camps, where children get to learn the fundamentals of the game and sharpen their skills with the help of high school, collegiate and even professional players.
When McGary dropped by the camp, he gave the coaches a hand and led the group of youngsters through some basic drills that they can take home. McGary joined in on competitions, encouraged the kids during games and delivered advice about specific aspects of the drills so that the campers were learning good habits.
“When I was doing these camps at their age, the most important thing was trying to learn as much as I could from the people that influenced me and having fun,” McGary said. “I try to bring a different approach to it with smiles, energy and encouragement. I think it pays off.
The bruising Thunder forward showed the kids the ropes the first time, dribbling in his lane from the baseline to half court, making a jump stop then turning back to the group. From there, McGary encouraged the campers to drive back towards the baseline, delivering a chest pass or bounce pass to the next child.
The next time around, McGary showed the campers the proper form on a layup and a jump shot so that when they turned from their jump stop, they could test their shooting skills. Regardless of a child’s skill level, the drills that McGary taught the 5-to-9 year olds can be useful in helping them build a base understanding of three core areas of the game – dribbling, passing and shooting.
“I was pretty uncoordinated as a kid,” McGary admitted. “I was really tall and lanky. I didn’t really catch up to my body until high school, but I always worked on ball-handling and shooting because I figured that it would help out on the court. It’s helping out now.”
McGary loved being able to give back to the children in the community, in addition to being able to dole out some basketball basics that were similar to the ones he utilized as a child. Those fundamentals are still integral to McGary’s game, as he uses his size, ball-handling, passing and shooting to make himself a dynamic and versatile player at the forward position.
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Click here for more information on Thunder Youth Basketball camps.