Central Michigan University Athletics
Going Camping with CMU Men's Basketball
5/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan men's basketball program made a giant leap in 2014-15 when it won, for the first time since 2002-03, the Mid-American Conference regular-season championship and earned a post-season tournament berth.
With that success has come a boost in the profile of the program, and an increased interest in all things maroon and gold. One area that has made great strides is the summer camp program.
The boys basketball Day Camp is scheduled for June 22-25, the Team Camp is slated for June 27-28, the Elite camp is set for July 1-2, and the College Exposure Camp runs Aug. 1-2.
The Elite and College Exposure camps are for players entering seventh-12th grade; the Team Camp is for high school varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams; and the Day Camp is for players age 6-10 and 11-14.
The camps drew 958 campers in 2014, a 52.3 percent increase from 2013.
"On behalf of Central Michigan University, we extend a warm welcome to all of our campers," coach Keno Davis said. "Our camps allow us to showcase the outstanding facilities that we are fortunate to have here at CMU, and enable us to show campers, coaches and parents all that our campus and university have to offer.
"The growth in our camps has mirrored that of our program. Certainly on-court success helps to raise the profile of our camps as well."
Camps are the lifeblood of any college basketball program, providing Davis and his staff an opportunity for an up-close look at high school talent and, just as important, the chance to build and cultivate relationships with high school coaches from across the state.
The camps offer players team building, high-level competition, expert instruction, and special lectures and demonstrations from Davis and his staff.
The attendance number for the 2014 team camp doubled from previous year, and growth is expected to continue. More than 1,000 campers are expected on campus this summer.
"The growth of our summer camp program is representative of our basketball program as a whole," said Davis, who is entering his fourth year as CMU's coach and was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 2015. "My staff has worked tirelessly over the past three years in all areas of our program and we are all excited to start to see the benefits of that hard work."
In addition to earning the MAC Coach of the Year Award last season, Davis received the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award from CollegeInsider.com. The Prosser goes to a coach who achieves success on the court as well as displaying moral integrity off of it.
Central Michigan men's basketball is on Twitter. Follow head coach Keno Davis (@CoachKenoDavis) and the program's official Twitter account (@CMUMensBball) to get insider news and information and team updates. The Chippewas are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CMUMensBBall.
