Coach Kurt Kanaskie welcomes everyone to camp.

Camp provides fathers with the opportunity to spend quality time with their sons teaching them valuable ball handling, passing, and defensive skills.

In its sixth year, the Penn State Father and Son Basketball Camp has proven once again to be a great success. The 2004 camp comprised of 150 father and son participants has been growing steadily from its first year totaling 84 participants. This year¡¯s camp members traveled from several parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, and New York with a growing number of returning father-son duos.

Camp participants ranging from sons ages six to 14, along with their fathers, arrived on the Penn State University Park Campus on Friday, June 18. The first day, participants completed registration, met the coaches, and were introduced to camp activities.

Ed Smith and his 6 year old Eddie.

Assistant Penn State Basketball Coach Kurt Kanaskie helps run the camp and even brought his own 9-year-old son, Kyle. ¡°This camp provides fathers with the skills they need to continue teaching their sons throughout the entire year, not just while at the camp. It¡¯s a fun learning environment based on teaching rather than competition,¡± says Kanaskie.

Penn State Head Coach Ed DeChellis was participating in his second Father/Son Camp since returning to Penn State last April. ¡°I like the whole idea of the camp. Just to see the excitement that the sons have spending time with their dads is worth the effort of putting it all together,¡± says DeChellis.

The camp teaches fathers skills including ball handling, passing, and even strength training to pass on to their sons. The coaches put a tremendous amount of time and energy into teaching the camp members new skills.

In his second year with Penn State and the Father and Son Camp, Assistant Coach James Johnson says, ¡°We can see the kids¡¯ skills grow immediately with the drills and teaching style we use.¡±

Lee Kramer and his 2 sons, Dalton, 9, and Ethan, 11.

Fathers and sons roomed together in Pinchot Halls and dined in Findlay commons, both located in the campus¡¯ East Halls complex. Returning for his second year, father Ray Stewart of Lancaster, Pa., says, ¡°Staying in the dorms is a great experience, especially for the kids.¡± Coach DeChellis added, ¡°For 48 hours, the fathers and sons eat, sleep, and play ball together, it¡¯s definitely a fun and special bonding time.¡±

Eddie Smith, age 6, says he can¡¯t wait to come back next year. He and his father Ed heard about the camp while attending a Penn State Men¡¯s Basketball game and decided to give it a try.

This year, Penn State was proud to host the Kramer family of Fredrick, Md. Father Lee Kramer and his two sons, Dalton, 9, and Ethan, 11, all hearing impaired, are spending their first year at the camp. Penn State provided the father/son team with a translator and a few special amenities to their dorm room to make their stay extra special. Lee says, ¡°The camp not only helps improve our basketball skills, but also the boys¡¯ confidence levels.¡±

Day two of camp is jam packed with learning new skills, contests including hot shot and knock out and five on five tournaments. Camp participants were also given a tour of the Penn State Basketball facilities and learned about strength training from guest speaker and Penn State Strength and Conditioning Coach Eric Norman. Breaks were given for relaxing, swimming, and a cookout followed by five on five tournaments of fathers vs. sons.

Coach Ed DeChellis and a father/son team pose for a photo.

Both Coach DeChellis and Kanaskie say their favorite part of the camp is the closing games. Included in this is the popular ¡°Court of Fortune¡± where jerseys, sweatshirts, and other Penn State Basketball apparel and accessories are laid out on the court. Camp members are blindfolded and spun in circles, then get down on their hands and knees to search the court for prizes. Whatever they touch, they get to keep.

Another favorite closing game is the father vs. son basketball game where the winner gets to put an overflowing plate of shaving cream in the face of their opponent. This was definitely one of the more popular activities according to many campers.

The camp ends with a meeting in the Multi-Sports Facility where awards are given to the participants before returning to their dorm rooms for their last night¡¯s stay.

Breakfast is provided in the morning and the families receive pictures with the coaches. Sunday morning, the sons travel home taking with them their newly learned basketball skills and a memorable weekend with Dad.