Dale Olson scrambled to put together the 29th Hoops and Hustle Basketball Camp.
The normal guest coaches from the Gonzaga Bulldogs were unavailable since the camp was initially put on hold due to the teachers-government dispute.
Once Olson got the OK to run the camp, he landed an awesome replacement in recent Basketball B.C. Hall of Fame inductee Spencer McKay. The camp runs July 14-17 at Fulton.
McKay is head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver. He was a three-time All-Canadian and five-time Canada West all-star while playing for the University of Victoria Vikings from 1986-91. Ken Shields and the late Guy Vetrie were his coaches.
McKay remains the program’s all-time leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points a game in his craeer.
“Spencer has a vast knowledge of the game, having played 16 years of pro in Europe,” said Olson, also a UVic hoop grad.
McKay played in Hungary, Belgium, Austria, Spain, France, Portugal, Mexico and Taiwan. He was also on Team Canada from 1985-95, highlighted by an appearance at the ‘94 World Championships in Toronto, where Canada finished seventh.
After retiring as a pro player, McKay stayed in Europe and coached seven years at the International School of Brussels in Belgium.
He returned to B.C. in 2012, spending one year as an assistant coach with the T-Birds.
Hoops and Hustle will hold the College Camp, for players going into Grades 4-7, daily from 8:30 a.m.-noon. The Pro Camp, for students entering Grades 8-12, goes from 1-5 p.m. each of ths five days.
“The importance of going to basketball camp in the summer is enormous,” said Olson. “Basketball players are made in the off season.”
Call Olson at 250-550-4105 or visit the Fulton website at: fultonsd22.bc.ca to register.
