Stocktons host basketball camp for local youth

Local athletes from Leavenworth and Cashmere participated in the Stock Basketball Camp on July 19 at Cascade High School.

The camp was run by David and Michael Stockton. David Stockton is a Gonzaga alum who played for the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz, and currently plays for the Media Bayreuth of the German Basketball Bundesliga. Michael Stockton played for Westminster College before competing for European teams. He currently plays for the BG Göttingen club.

Teneille Hatmaker of Leavenworth Youth Basketball, explained she reached out to the Stocktons through a mutual contact and they agreed to host a camp for kids.

“We’ve been trying to bring back basketball for some time and the camp is a way to get people super excited about the sport," Hatmaker added.

This Stock Basketball Camp was the first time Stocktons have hosted a clinic in north central Washington. They had previously hosted basketball camps at Almira-Coulee-Hartline High School.

For the camp, the Stocktons showed campers various basketball fundamentals for the first two hours before playing several games for the remainder of the camp.

Assisting Michael and David Stockton were their siblings Laura Stockton, who played college for Gonzaga University's women's basketball team for four years, and Shawn Stockton, who is gearing up to play GU, and Kevin Kuhn, a family friend who was also a Bulldog.

The camp began with Kuhn showing campers different stretches and having them jog to warm up their muscles. The athletes transitioned into a drill demonstrating different defensive positions while playing the game “Simon Says.” David Stockton explained using “Simon Says” will help athletes improve their listening. As athletes played the game, Michael Stockton would issue commends to confuse the campers.

After a water break, campers were divided into age groups. Younger campers stayed in the auxiliary gym and learned different passing, shooting and defensive skills from Michael, Laura and Shawn Stockton.

“I saw some of you mess up and that’s good,” Laura Stockton said. “Messing up means you are pushing ourself and that’s great.”  

The older kids went into the main gym with David Stockton and Kuhn for more intense, focused drills. For one of the drills, David Stockton showed the campers ball-handling techniques, which he practices every day, to help them with ball control.

In another drill, he and Kuhn had dribble around a set of chairs with one hand, make a one-handed layup and continue dribbling on the way back to the line.  

For David Stockton, hosting one a youth basketball camp allows him to give back to the sport and teach younger players new skills to help them with their game.

“It’s also a great way to get out and see the country and all of Washington,” David Stockton added. “It’s been a great experience.”  

Like his brother, Michael Stockton enjoys hosting the camp and teaching kids the sport because he had many people dedicate their time to helping him improve his skills.

“I’m happy the kids came out and wanted to do this,” Michael Stockton said. “It’s a great experience for all of us.”