Thompson grows game with annual youth basketball camp
Published 9:34 am Thursday, June 19, 2025
The Thompson Warriors welcomed more than 40 campers to learn from players and coaches at the Warrior Basketball Camp, where enthusiasm to learn the game was on full display. (Reporter Photos/Andrew Simonson)
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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
ALABASTER – The Thompson Warriors got hands on in the development of the Alabaster area’s next generation of basketball players at the Thompson Youth Basketball Camp.
The two-day camp saw more than 40 campers from first to sixth grade take over Warrior Arena on June 16 and 17 to learn basketball skills from Thompson’s varsity boys and girls basketball players and coaches.
“I thought the camp was a lot of fun,” Thompson varsity boys basketball coach Major Deacon said. “I had a lot of kids out here interested. Really excited to have them out here.”
Deacon and new varsity girls basketball coach Nick Browder led the campers through drills that taught them the basics of passing, dribbling, shooting and defense.
One big positive that Deacon saw out of the group was their enthusiasm to work hard to get better at basketball. He said some of the campers tried to maximize their time at Warrior Arena with some extra work individually.
“Had some really excited, had some get here as early as an hour before to try to get shots up to try to work on their game,” Deacon said. “Really happy that they’re excited to play basketball this time of the year.”
Each of the dozens of campers were assigned a group with one of the Thompson players leading it. That let the players form relationships with the campers but also get a close-up look at what it’s like to be a coach themselves.
Deacon thought that the latter was what made the camp a rewarding experience for the players.
“I thought it was a real growing experience for them to be able to see what we see when we’re coaching them,” Deacon said.
The coaches and players saw each of the campers take strides in their development throughout the week. Multiple campers received awards at the end of the second day as the top campers, making it a special experience for them.
However, Deacon wasn’t just concerned with the most skilled players. He also took pride in teaching the newcomers the basic fundamentals of basketball for the first time.
“I think my favorite part was the fact that a lot of our kids developed and got better throughout the week,” Deacon said. “Also, for some of them, it was their first time playing basketball, so introducing them to basketball for the first time and making sure they had fun was really important for me.”
It’s moments like that where beginners start to put the pieces together and discover their love of basketball which excite Deacon for the players who will take the floor in the years to come at Thompson.
“It’s tremendous,” Deacon said. “To see a kid come out here and dribble the ball for the first time and smile and enjoy and grow, it shows me there’s a bright future here in Alabaster.”
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