After working with the Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA, shooting coach Dave Love is bringing his basketball camp to Vernon to teach kids how to make it rain.
The Love of the Game basketball camp will be at Fulton Secondary next Saturay, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The sharp-shooting Love attended Lord Beaverbrook high school and Mount Royal College in Calgary.
He started running camps in 2001 while coaching with the University of Calgary Dinosaurs.
From there, his camps have developed into a highly respected basketball program for players to hone their skills.
Love was hired by the Phoenix Suns of the NBA as a shooting coach for the 2009-2010 season. Since then, the camps have blossomed nationwide.
“Once Phoenix hired me, I was able to put the NBA name on my camps. It gave me an opportunity to take the camps big scale,” said Love.
The camps are for kids 11 and up.
“I am happy working with any player that wants to get better. It doesn’t matter to me if they are in high school, college or the NBA,” said Love.
While in Phoenix, Love worked with 19-year veteran Grant Hill on his balance.
“I love working with guys like that; he (Hill) is still coachable after all those years,” said Love.
The kids better hit the gym before the camp starts; Love estimates 300-400 shots are fired.
“We do a lot of catch-and-shoot, starting with the feet and work our way up the body. There aren’t too many drills we do, just a lot of shooting,” said Love.
Love tends to save the mental aspect of basketball for individual workouts.
“I still teach these kids that they need to believe that they are good shooters before they become good shooters,” said Love.
The camps haven’t expanded internationally yet as Love likes to be close to his two young daughters in the offseason.
Love’s last camp in Vernon was more than seven years ago. For cfurther info, visit http://theloveofthegame.com.
