2025 ECCHS BOYS’ FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS BASKETBALL CAMP A SUCCESS
The 43rd annual Elk County Catholic High School Boys’ Fundamental Skills Basketball Camp was held at ECCHS the week of June 2nd . The five-day camp was open to boys entering grades one through nine as of August 2025 in both public and parochial schools.
Once again, this year, the campers had a great week of skill building and now have the rest of the summer to work on their skills.
The camp was under the direction of the boys’ basketball staff at Elk County Catholic High School. ECC Assistant Coach Wee J Fernan, ran point for this years camp. The camp staff included ECC Boys Basketball Assistant Coaches and twelve current Elk County Catholic High School Boys Junior Varsity and Varsity Basketball players.
A total of 76 boys participated in the 2025 edition of the skills camp. Three sessions were held each day. Players entering grades 1, 2, and 3 reported from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM; grades 4, 5, and 6 reported from 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM; grades 7, 8, and 9 reported from 12:30 PM to 2:45 PM. On the final day, all boys reported from 8:30 AM to 9:45 AM.
Fundamentals of passing, dribbling, shooting, footwork, screening and defense were the primary focus of the camp. One-on-one and team fundamentals were taught throughout the week. Shooting clinics were held on free throw shooting, jump shooting, and lay-ups. Special contests and tournaments were also held.
In the 7th, 8th and 9th grade session a 3-day tournament was held. All campers played in the same division with some interesting upsets and fun games. The tournament championship was held on the final day of the camp with a 3 round playoff bracket.
With a very talented and competitive atmosphere from all players and teams the combined 7th, 8th, and 9th grade tournament was a huge success. All five teams in the annual Elk County Catholic Basketball camp 3 on 3 tournament presented a great deal of sportsmanship battling their way through round-robin competition then into a single-elimination playoff.
The five teams consisted of the following players. The top seeded team coached by Luke Songer included Bo Williams, Charlie Warmnrodt, and Bruno Stager. The second seed, coached by Frankie Smith, consisted of Leo Simbeck, Max Castellano, Toryn Zuchowski, and Kade Brem. The third seed, coached by Chase Simbeck, consisted of Landon Buhler, Easton Straub, Charlie Hasselmen, and Logan Bille. The fourth seeded team was coached by Jake Wasko, and players included Landry Brem, Bryce Pistner, and Bobby Steele. The underdog of the tournament was coached by Wyatt Brem and included Trenton Gregori, Cooper Thorwart, and Johnathan Dourado.
After preliminary league play between the 5 teams a single elimination tournament was held. Only two teams would be able to advance to the championship game. Those two teams were Team Songer and Team Smith. After a very low scoring 4-3 game Team Smith was able to come out on top with a last second layup by Max Castellano. All 5 teams played very competitive games resulting in Team Smith taking the gold, Team Songer taking the silver, and Team Brem taking the bronze.
To conclude the week, a ninety-minute drill session was held on Friday, June 6th. All participants of the skills camp from grades 1 through 9 then received their official “gold” Crusader Basketball shirts. All campers can now use the rest of the summer to further improve the skills they developed during this year’s camp. The Crusader staff would like to congratulate and thank all those who participated in the 43rd annual Boys Basketball Camp.
