Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Watson Basketball Academy partnered with Play Brightly Youth Charitable Foundation to host the second annual Her Time to Play camp on April 9-11, bringing together 45 local girls ages 7-10 who are interested in the sport.
The free, three-day camp at Hollister High School involves running the young players through drills, team-building activities, and attending panel discussions with high school-aged girls who play basketball.
“I started this camp to give young girls a chance to fall in love with basketball the same way I did—by playing in a fun, supportive environment surrounded by other girls,” said Hollister High School junior varsity girls coach Ashley Watson. “It’s so important for them to have their own space to build confidence, develop new skills, and just have fun. Watching these girls grow over three days was so special.”
Three girls who participated in the camp said they enjoyed the drills, scrimmages and coaches.
Gilroy resident Jayla Van Hook, 10, said she appreciated meeting new people and participating in the games.
“We did pretty fun drills,” she said, “and I liked it when we, at the end, did scrimmages.”
Van Hook, who is a Stephen Curry and Golden State Warriors fan, was awarded a scholarship from Play Brightly after the camp. The funds can be put toward anything related to basketball.
Hollister resident Madison Peterson, 7, said her favorite drill was dribbling the ball back and forth with her two hands.
“I just really like basketball,” Peterson said. “My dad played and my brother did too. I just wanted to play.”
Peterson, also a Warriors fan, said she has worked on her dribbling and shooting over the years and reflected on her progress thus far.
“I was playing and I was going to shoot, I was just five years old,” she said with a laugh. “I wasn’t good. I was dribbling and a coach picked me up to shoot the ball in the hoop.”
She said her favorite player is her dad, who played high school in Rialto, a few miles north of Riverside.
Hollister resident, Aby Exparian, 10, said she got interested in basketball after watching a game on TV. She began playing in the Hollister Recreation and YMCA leagues, and currently trains with Watson.
Exparian said she was nervous at first but quickly got over it as she began to participate in activities.
“Everyone should try basketball,” she said. “It changed my life. That’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
A Lebron James and Los Angeles Lakers fan, Exparian said she is working to make her dream of playing in the WNBA a reality by working on drills at home.
In addition to a love for the game, the young athletes shared an appreciation for the work and dedication that the participating Hollister High School girls basketball players put into the camp.
“I was really inspired by the high school players,” Exparian said.
Play Brightly Youth Charitable Foundation co-founder Toni Bowles said during the first year of the camp there were 13 girls and it was held at Sacred Heart Prep. The goal for next year is to have 100 girls attend, she said.
“Coach Watson is a huge basketball asset to our community with her collegiate coaching experience, Division I player experience, and having played all four years on the varsity team at Archbishop Mitty High School,” Bowles said. “We are lucky to have her here in Hollister and hope to continue to grow the game with her locally with funding and resources.”
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.
You must be logged in to post a comment.