Peninsula High basketball camp about drills, skills and developing future Seahawks

When Peninsula High School to-be senior basketball player Myles Rupert looks out onto the court at the Peninsula auxiliary gym during the Seahawks’ annual summer youth basketball camp, he’s pleased to see so many familiar faces.

“I recognize a lot of the same kids from last year,” he said. “I think we’ve gotten our program to that point — where kids want to come here.

“This is actually being part of our community, getting to know families and kids in our community. I think it’s an excellent way to give back.”

The basketball camp runs July 16-19 at Peninsula, and featured both boys and girls.

Mostly, it’s a chance for players in the Peninsula boys basketball program to teach the next generation of players.

About 40 kids are in this year’s camp, engaging in various drills and competitions. And all are quick to hop into a triple-threat position when Peninsula coach Matt Robles blows his whistle.

“The big thing is that our guys in the program are giving back to the community,” Robles. “And two, with this camp, they realize how much the future Peninsula basketball players really look up to them. These campers really look up to them and they do a great job. They’re positive, energetic, they lead really well. You can see the kids all gravitating toward the current players in our program. That’s a lot of fun to watch.”

It is, after all, a basketball camp, so Robles hopes the young players not only learn new skills, but continue to work on their game on their own.

But mostly, it’s about having fun.

“I hope they learn some leadership skills, have fun and learn a new skill each day,” Robles said.

For Rupert, he sees future Seahawks basketball players and wants them to learn the culture Robles has put in place.

“Beyond the basketball skills, just learning the lessons Robles is trying to implement with kids at this age,” Rupert said. “I’ve moved around a lot in my life and have had a lot of different coaches. Robles is the only one that actually does what he preaches. So I think for the kids to get to know what he’s all about is a really important thing.”

Peninsula finished up competing in the Curtis Summer League in University Place in June, and recently went to a team camp at Eastern Washington University. The youth summer camp puts an unofficial end to the summer period for the Seahawks.