Campers and coaches quickly got into the flow of drills Monday, the first day of the Girl’s Youth Summer Camp that the Hancock women’s basketball program is overseeing at Hancock’s Joe White Memorial Gymnasium.
“Keep proper spacing!,” Hancock women’s basketball coach Danah Smith told campers during one of the drills, in which campers did high leg-kick calisthenics. “We don’t want to kick (anybody).”
“Let’s see who can make the first one,” Maggie Perez called out to the youngsters while overseeing a drill with fellow camp coach Alyssa Reyes.
“Good!,” Perez exclaimed when a youngster made the first basket of the drill. The camper broke into a smile.
Smith and Hancock women’s and men’s assistant coach Connor Dodd are helping oversee the camp, which is scheduled to run through Thursday at Hancock. Youngsters ages six-through-17 are eligible.
“This is my second camp, and I believe we have 26 or 27 campers,” said Smith.
“I’m happy with the numbers we have. Last year, we had about 20.”
Smith was named the 2023-24 Western State Conference North Division Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year after guiding Hancock to second place in the WSC North in her first year as Bulldogs head coach. Smith was a veteran Hancock assistant coach before the 2023-24 season.
The Bulldogs won a first-round regional game under Smith.
Other than Smith and Dodd, the coaches at the camp are returning and future Hancock players. Perez, who graduated from St. Joseph High School, was a key member of the 2023-24 Bulldogs rotation, and was a part-time starter. Reyes, another shooting guard, graduated from Santa Maria High School last June. Reyes was a key player for the Saints varsity.
Perez is working her second Hancock camp. “I love the kids, especially the youngest ones,” she said.
“They can be a lot sometimes, but they’re a lot of fun. I like teaching them from the ground up. We all have to start sometime, you know?”
Perez was a shooting guard last season. “I might be a point guard this season,” she said.
Leandra Hernandez was a power forward-center for Pioneer Valley last season. She is working a Hancock basketball camp for the first time, and will play for the Bulldogs this coming season.
“I like helping the kids learn, so that they have the skills to take with them when they go and play,” for their future teams, Hernandez said.
Khaelii Robertson-Mack led the Bulldogs in scoring and rebounding last season. The Orcutt Academy graduate averaged a scoring-rebounding double-double her freshman collegiate campaign. She is working a Hancock camp for the second time.
“It feels fun to be a leader,” said Robertson-Mack.
“This (camp) reminds me of myself. I came here when I was a little kid.”
Campers Summer Serritslev, age 11, Gianna D’Arelli, 12, and Jazmine Juarez, 16, play for their school teams in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Serritslev will be in seventh grade during the 2024-25 school year. She has already played for two years, for Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy as a fifth grader, and for Solvang Elementary School last school year.
The schools serve students from kindergarten through eighth grade and, “At the school I played for last year (Solvang Elementary School), you can play from fifth grade on up,” said Serritslev.
Serritslev is a post player.
“This is my first (Hancock) camp,” said Serritslev. “Playing (competitive) games is what I’m most looking forward to.”
D’Arelli plays on the wing and on the block for Christian Academy. This is also her first Hancock camp. “Learning something new is what I’m looking forward to most,” she said.
Juarez has returned for a second Hancock camp. “I came here when I was a little kid,” she said.
“I like meeting older kids,” she said. “I like meeting the players who play for Hancock because I hope to play here. I won’t be able to go straight to a four-year school,” after graduating from high school.
Juarez has played point guard and shooting guard for the Santa Ynez junior varsity at the high school level. “I’m working my way up there,” to the varsity, the Santa Ynez junior-to-be said with a smile.