State College, Pa. - June 27, 2005 - Building on the success of last year's camps, another record was set as 45 teams ventured to Penn State over the weekend for the 2005 Nittany Lion Basketball Team Camp.

"This is the second year that my staff has run summer camps and I'm very pleased by the reception we're getting from teams around the region," Nittany Lion head coach Ed DeChellis said. "The efforts of the entire staff have been outstanding and we're seeing the pay-off for their hard work during each camp."

Last year, 34 teams (then a record) attended the camp, which more than doubled the year prior to that. The growth of the team camp has been outstanding. A few years prior to DeChellis' arrival, the team camp was at one point cancelled due to lack of interest.

"We are pleased by the reception we're getting from high school coaches," DeChellis said. "We want to make coming to the Penn State team camp a tradition for as many high school programs as possible. We feel we have a great setting to offer teams and we're getting very positive feedback."

The camp slate will continue in a month with the instructional camp. This session, running July 31 through August 4, offers the camper individual instruction as well as the opportunity to take part in 'league' games and individual competitions. It is designed for players in grades six through 12 next fall.

The camp season will close out with the Day Camp, which runs August 8 through August 12. The Day Camp is open to boys entering grades two through eight next fall and focuses on fundamentals of the game and emphasizes team play through drills and live game situations. Workouts are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

For more information on the Nittany Lion basketball camps, contact the Penn State Sports Camps office at 814/865-0561.