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Coach Wardle's Youth Summer Camp

LittleBrave

LittleBrave

Well-known member
Hi Braves fans!

I am taking my 5th grade son (soon to be 6th grader) to BW's camp at Renaissance Colisseum this coming Mon./Tues.
Wondering if anyone else on the board has a child who is attending any of the 3 sessions.
(And yes, I'm trying to get him amped for BU basketball recently in hopes of one day suiting up!)

Looking fw to it, and hopefully to meet Coach W and a couple of the players!

LB
 
tomahawk chop said:
my 7 year old granddaughter attended.
Click to expand...
Nice - how was it for her?

I think it will be a bit of a break for my son as he had b2b games today.
They got hammered 57-4 in Gm 1. My son scored the first point for the team to get on the scoreboard, only down 47-1 after his made FT.
They only lost by 18 in Gm 2 with JJ (my son) netting 5 as the leading scorer. :)
 
I will post more about the camp later.

From a growth standpoint, my son didn't really pick up much, as he's getting individual training near Chicago, where we live.
But to have the chance to meet college student athletes and play with them, just incredible.
The stations and drills were set up very nicely. Attitude, teamwork, and having fun were central themes from Coach Wardle.

I already told Tommy, but my son beat Meta in a game of 1v1 3-2. He got dunked on, but he wasn't intimidated!
He got to pass back and forth with Duke Deen for 2 minutes also.

NOBODY relates better to kids than Duke. They all love him. Was great to see him putting his heart and soul into the camp even though his days of wearing a Braves uni are over.

Perhaps a favorite among the kids was Quany (JaQuan), and of course, O-Show, with his display of high-flying dunks!
 
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A couple observations about players for you Braves fans itching for the new season!

Newcomers:
Montana (Wheels) - pretty quiet and chill. Very nice kid though. I can see he's got handles, but didn't see him shoot. Everyone at camp sang Happy Birthday to him. JaQuan is like twice his size! I've never seen legs as big as Quany's from a college player.

Kai Yu - fantastic kid. He spent the last 4 yrs in Taipei (high school), so I was able to connect with him as I've been to Taiwan a couple times, can speak a little Chinese, and my wife is from there too. His English is not good, but he was almost always smiling and a gentle giant with the 1st graders. I asked him if he'll be playing this coming year and he said yes, but not sure to what degree.

AJ Smith - very outgoing guy. He is built well and can see why he gets offensive rebounds. I do think he's 6'6" at best. Seems to maybe connect better with adults than kids (LOL) but he gave a great effort all the time!

Alex H - Man, this kid can shoot! He won the 3-point contest vs Zobrist and earlier in the day, knocked down 8 threes in 25 sec.
No wonder he was at the station to help kids with shooting form. He is INTENSE on the court! I think he'll be a great addition for our perimeter shooting.

Jackson and Gustavo from what I heard on this board are planning to RS. Got to meet Gustavo - he really likes people.
He came over to me and Kai when talking and wanted to join our convo! He's fluent in Spanish and Portuguese (from Brazil)

Matthew (Zo) Zobrist - Wow! This kid can ball. From dribbling, creating shots, and fluid 3-point shot, and great size. I think he's ready to play for Bradley and could become a star.

DJ Richardson (D-Rich) - Very long and lanky. I knew he was thin, but man - hopefully he can add 5-10 lbs before the season starts. I didn't see him in action much, so hard to know and never saw him play. Many kids called him "Haliburton" cause of his facial resemblence and maybe physique. He is taller than AJ by an inch or 2.

Some observations about returning guys:

Burch - nothing new really on his game...very mature kid - tends to his business and seems like a very hard worker. Very respectful to adults...always "Yes sir!" Personality reminds me of DB Jr. - if anyone is in doubt of his outside shooting, I have NO doubts after these last 2 days. He might shoot around 50% again this season. (He shot 56% last season, but only attempted 32)

Meta - he is quicker than I thought. He looks like a seasoned vet. Shot a lot of 3s with the kids and missed 'em all. LOL
One of the faves among the kids and so so good with them and even though fun, a great disciplinarian!

Timo - maybe the kindest guy on the team. He is BIG! He looked as tall as Corey, who is 6'10".

CT - very vocal guy and connects with everyone on the team. He's got to be a team leader. A giant version of Duke Deen, but toned down a tad
If I were a college kid, I'd probably wanna hang out with him more than any other Brave, but he seems to love being around people of all ages.
 
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LittleBrave said:
A couple observations about players for you Braves fans itching for the new season!

Newcomers:
Montana (Wheels) - pretty quiet and chill. Very nice kid though. I can see he's got handles, but didn't see him shoot. Everyone at camp sang Happy Birthday to him. JaQuan is like twice his size! I've never seen legs as big as Quany's from a college player.

Kai Yu - fantastic kid. He spent the last 4 yrs in Taipei (high school), so I was able to connect with him as I've been to Taiwan a couple times, can speak a little Chinese, and my wife is from there too. His English is not good, but he was almost always smiling and a gentle giant with the 1st graders. I asked him if he'll be playing this coming year and he said yes, but not sure to what degree.

AJ Smith - very outgoing guy. He is built well and can see why he gets offensive rebounds. I do think he's 6'6" at best. Seems to maybe connect better with adults than kids (LOL) but he gave a great effort all the time!

Alex H - Man, this kid can shoot! He won the 3-point contest vs Zobrist and earlier in the day, knocked down 8 threes in 25 sec.
No wonder he was at the station to help kids with shooting form. He is INTENSE on the court! I think he'll be a great addition for our perimeter shooting.

Jackson and Gustavo from what I heard on this board are planning to RS. Got to meet Gustavo - he really likes people.
He came over to me and Kai when talking and wanted to join our convo! He's fluent in Spanish and Portuguese (from Brazil)

Matthew (Zo) Zobrist - Wow! This kid can ball. From dribbling, creating shots, and fluid 3-point shot, and great size. I think he's ready to play for Bradley and could become a star.

DJ Richardson (D-Rich) - Very long and lanky. I knew he was thin, but man - hopefully he can add 5-10 lbs before the season starts. I didn't see him in action much, so hard to know and never saw him play. Many kids called him "Haliburton" cause of his facial resemblence and maybe physique.

Some observations about returning guys:

Burch - nothing new really on his game...very mature kid - tends to his business and seems like a very hard worker. Very respectful to adults...always "Yes sir!" Personality reminds me of DB Jr. - if anyone is in doubt of his outside shooting, I have NO doubts after these last 2 days. He might shoot around 50% again this season. (He shot 56% last season, but only attempted 32)

Meta - he is quicker than I thought. He looks like a seasoned vet. Shot a lot of 3s with the kids and missed 'em all. LOL
One of the faves among the kids and so so good with them and even though fun, a great disciplinarian!

Timo - maybe the kindest guy on the team. He is BIG! He looked as tall as Corey, who is 6'10".

CT - very vocal guy and connects with everyone on the team. He's got to be a team leader. A giant version of Duke Deen, but toned down a tad
If I were a college kid, I'd probably want to hang out with him more than any other Brave, but he seems to love being around people of all ages.
Click to expand...
Great report!! It is good to hear how they are doing before the season starts
 
Pretty sure I interacted with the players more than any other parent. Not many stayed for the camp, but it was open for them to watch.
I wanted to make the most of it, taking 2 days off of work and traveling 3 hrs from Chicago. Definitely worth the trip and 2 Avanti's lunches was a bonus for my son. :)
 
bradleyfan124 said:
Great report!! It is good to hear how they are doing before the season starts
Click to expand...
I didn't know what to expect, but surely didn't expect ALL the guys to be there and helping with camp!
The camp was fully booked (175 kids) which may have been a record.

Great experience for the players to be in charge of groups of 10-16 kids for 2+ hrs a day, and at various age groups. Coach Wardle and other coaches didn't do as much hands-on as the players, but Coach W gave great nuggets of advice to the young campers and got them motivated at the start.
 
LittleBrave said:
A couple observations about players for you Braves fans itching for the new season!

Newcomers:
Montana (Wheels) - pretty quiet and chill. Very nice kid though. I can see he's got handles, but didn't see him shoot. Everyone at camp sang Happy Birthday to him. JaQuan is like twice his size! I've never seen legs as big as Quany's from a college player.

Kai Yu - fantastic kid. He spent the last 4 yrs in Taipei (high school), so I was able to connect with him as I've been to Taiwan a couple times, can speak a little Chinese, and my wife is from there too. His English is not good, but he was almost always smiling and a gentle giant with the 1st graders. I asked him if he'll be playing this coming year and he said yes, but not sure to what degree.

AJ Smith - very outgoing guy. He is built well and can see why he gets offensive rebounds. I do think he's 6'6" at best. Seems to maybe connect better with adults than kids (LOL) but he gave a great effort all the time!

Alex H - Man, this kid can shoot! He won the 3-point contest vs Zobrist and earlier in the day, knocked down 8 threes in 25 sec.
No wonder he was at the station to help kids with shooting form. He is INTENSE on the court! I think he'll be a great addition for our perimeter shooting.

Jackson and Gustavo from what I heard on this board are planning to RS. Got to meet Gustavo - he really likes people.
He came over to me and Kai when talking and wanted to join our convo! He's fluent in Spanish and Portuguese (from Brazil)

Matthew (Zo) Zobrist - Wow! This kid can ball. From dribbling, creating shots, and fluid 3-point shot, and great size. I think he's ready to play for Bradley and could become a star.

DJ Richardson (D-Rich) - Very long and lanky. I knew he was thin, but man - hopefully he can add 5-10 lbs before the season starts. I didn't see him in action much, so hard to know and never saw him play. Many kids called him "Haliburton" cause of his facial resemblence and maybe physique. He is taller than AJ by an inch or 2.

Some observations about returning guys:

Burch - nothing new really on his game...very mature kid - tends to his business and seems like a very hard worker. Very respectful to adults...always "Yes sir!" Personality reminds me of DB Jr. - if anyone is in doubt of his outside shooting, I have NO doubts after these last 2 days. He might shoot around 50% again this season. (He shot 56% last season, but only attempted 32)

Meta - he is quicker than I thought. He looks like a seasoned vet. Shot a lot of 3s with the kids and missed 'em all. LOL
One of the faves among the kids and so so good with them and even though fun, a great disciplinarian!

Timo - maybe the kindest guy on the team. He is BIG! He looked as tall as Corey, who is 6'10".

CT - very vocal guy and connects with everyone on the team. He's got to be a team leader. A giant version of Duke Deen, but toned down a tad
If I were a college kid, I'd probably wanna hang out with him more than any other Brave, but he seems to love being around people of all ages.
Click to expand...
What a great report!
I also heard there was a full camp and that like with you LB, there were a lot of kids who came from outside the Peoria area.
That is great for Bradley. Thank you LittleBrave!
 
LittleBrave said:
A couple observations about players for you Braves fans itching for the new season!

Newcomers:
Montana (Wheels) - pretty quiet and chill. Very nice kid though. I can see he's got handles, but didn't see him shoot. Everyone at camp sang Happy Birthday to him. JaQuan is like twice his size! I've never seen legs as big as Quany's from a college player.

Kai Yu - fantastic kid. He spent the last 4 yrs in Taipei (high school), so I was able to connect with him as I've been to Taiwan a couple times, can speak a little Chinese, and my wife is from there too. His English is not good, but he was almost always smiling and a gentle giant with the 1st graders. I asked him if he'll be playing this coming year and he said yes, but not sure to what degree.

AJ Smith - very outgoing guy. He is built well and can see why he gets offensive rebounds. I do think he's 6'6" at best. Seems to maybe connect better with adults than kids (LOL) but he gave a great effort all the time!

Alex H - Man, this kid can shoot! He won the 3-point contest vs Zobrist and earlier in the day, knocked down 8 threes in 25 sec.
No wonder he was at the station to help kids with shooting form. He is INTENSE on the court! I think he'll be a great addition for our perimeter shooting.

Jackson and Gustavo from what I heard on this board are planning to RS. Got to meet Gustavo - he really likes people.
He came over to me and Kai when talking and wanted to join our convo! He's fluent in Spanish and Portuguese (from Brazil)

Matthew (Zo) Zobrist - Wow! This kid can ball. From dribbling, creating shots, and fluid 3-point shot, and great size. I think he's ready to play for Bradley and could become a star.

DJ Richardson (D-Rich) - Very long and lanky. I knew he was thin, but man - hopefully he can add 5-10 lbs before the season starts. I didn't see him in action much, so hard to know and never saw him play. Many kids called him "Haliburton" cause of his facial resemblence and maybe physique. He is taller than AJ by an inch or 2.

Some observations about returning guys:

Burch - nothing new really on his game...very mature kid - tends to his business and seems like a very hard worker. Very respectful to adults...always "Yes sir!" Personality reminds me of DB Jr. - if anyone is in doubt of his outside shooting, I have NO doubts after these last 2 days. He might shoot around 50% again this season. (He shot 56% last season, but only attempted 32)

Meta - he is quicker than I thought. He looks like a seasoned vet. Shot a lot of 3s with the kids and missed 'em all. LOL
One of the faves among the kids and so so good with them and even though fun, a great disciplinarian!

Timo - maybe the kindest guy on the team. He is BIG! He looked as tall as Corey, who is 6'10".

CT - very vocal guy and connects with everyone on the team. He's got to be a team leader. A giant version of Duke Deen, but toned down a tad
If I were a college kid, I'd probably wanna hang out with him more than any other Brave, but he seems to love being around people of all ages.
Click to expand...
After watching a couple games of Zobrist I felt that he would be able to contribute right away. Such a smart player and can shoot
 
Da Coach said:
What a great report!
I also heard there was a full camp and that like with you LB, there were a lot of kids who came from outside the Peoria area.
That is great for Bradley. Thank you LittleBrave!
Click to expand...
Thanks DC! Yeah, most likely we'll do it again next summer.
I told him about the spaghetti dinner, but not sure that is open to youth?
 
Surprised to see Duke Deen. Figured he would have left the area to pursue other life's interests. Any one knows if plans on living in the area or still trying to see if he can play overseas somewhere?
 
Just coincidentally, there is still a vacancy on the coaching staff since Darrell Brown, Jr. left.
 
LongTimeFan said:
I had wondered it was a possibility. We had read where Deen had been for showing recruits around campus.
Click to expand...
He told me he was going back to Europe to play, but maybe he was “supposed” to say that. He certainly has the mentality of a coach or even drill sargeant!
 
Duke was my son’s partner in a passing drill in Duke’s station. He also signed JJ’s t-shirt at the end of camp. Btw JJ is not even 5’ tall. ;)
1799127312261825722.jpeg
 
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A few more photos of my son JJ and some Braves, who were so happy to meet us and take the time for us.
8870524612876432613.jpeg

6667008106667918218.jpeg
 
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daveineureka said:
Surprised to see Duke Deen. Figured he would have left the area to pursue other life's interests. Any one knows if plans on living in the area or still trying to see if he can play overseas somewhere?
Click to expand...
He was not just there for a cameo appearance. He was working hard with the kids and very involved both days of camp. He manned his own station to focus on passing drills in Renaissance Colliseum on Day 2. A nice surprise for sure!

Just an aside..I’ve never met a high school or college player shorter than me until I met Duke. I have also never met anyone as comfortable in his own skin as Duke is either! He just knows how to connect with people and seems to love every minute of it.
 
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