Priceville Junior high basketball coach Shannon Hulse, right, observes as a group of sixth and seventh graders compete in a drill at the Morgan County Girls Basketball Camp at Priceville High School. | Clif Knight

The future of girls basketball in Morgan County in general and Priceville in particular was spotlighted last week as 55 girls from first through ninth grades participated in the Morgan County Girls Basketball Camp at Priceville High School.

The girls were divided into four age groups with grades 1-3 and 4-5 occupying the small gym and grades 6-7 and 8-9 working in the main gym.

Terrie Nelson, head girls’ basketball coach at Priceville High, headed up the camp. She was assisted by Larry Slater, her father and retired head women’s basketball coach at Wallace State Community College, JV coach Shannon Hulse and junior high coach Kim Walker. In addition, junior varsity and varsity basketball players served as assistants.

“I choose to work with the young girls because it’s so important for them to learn how to develop good habits while playing the game at an early age,” said Nelson. “The hardest thing for a coach to do is break them from bad habits later on.

“They need to learn basic skills without the ball, have fun and develop a love for the game,” she pointed out.

“We have a very good group of kids this year,” Nelson stated. “They’ve very energetic and very coach able. Our drills are designed to give them a lot of repetitions in each skill we’re teaching and let them demonstrate what they’ve learned in competitive games.”

Slater worked with eighth and night graders, some of whom will be competing in junior varsity ball next season.

“These girls are easier to coach because they’ve worked a lot on the basic fundamentals,” Slater said. “I show them some techniques they can use to become a better player on the varsity level.

“I see a lot of talent in this group of girls,” he added. They should be competitive at the next level.”

Nelson said before camp closed on Friday the girls were given the opportunity to show their parents and other family members what they learned in five days of workouts. Each age group developed its own program of activities and players from each group were singled out for special recognition. Individual awards were presented for most improved player, most hustle, most coachable, best offensive player and best defensive player.