A mighty debut

Kevin Brenner, a Panthers' basketball player, was one of about a dozen student-athletes that volunteered their time at Wilmot Union High School's first annual Mighty Mite camp last week (Photo by Jason Arndt).
Kevin Brenner, a Panthers’ basketball player, was one of about a dozen student-athletes that volunteered their time at Wilmot Union High School’s first annual Mighty Mite camp last week (Photo by Jason Arndt).

More than 100 attend first Mighty Mites camp at Wilmot

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

Jake Erbentraut had a vision to create a Mighty Mites basketball camp for several years, but due to the 10-foot-high rims at Wilmot Union High School’s Field House, it was not possible until this year.

Courtesy of another school’s donation, the first annual basketball camp for children in kindergarten through third grade has exceeded expectations, bringing in more than 100 students last week.

Along with instruction from Erbentraut, the boys varsity coach, and his girls basketball counterpart Keiya Square, students received a child-size basketball included in the $30 registration fee.

“When we needed to figure out how many basketball, 100 sounded reasonable, (even) if we had extras,” Erbentraut said. “We actually had to order more basketballs because we had so many participants.”

The coach, who is also a business education teacher, said he wanted a camp targeted toward younger children, noting most programs are for children in fourth grade and older.

“There has been no opportunities for our kindergarten to third grade, so to get the basketball in their hands and have fun doing it – it was something we had to get going,” he said.

The opportunity came when Erbentraut worked in a similar program at Hartland Arrowhead. That program had the needed backboards and rims.

“These rims here, were the thing that was holding us back. We don’t have the rims that were portable that you can take down,” Erbentraut said. “Last year, I was working a camp at Arrowhead and they donated it to us.”

When both coaches collaborated, they asked for help from student-athletes that included at least a dozen varsity and junior varsity basketball players from the boys and girls programs.

Erbentraut said the players’ involvement at the camp is a two-fold benefit.

“They are doing great, some have been really good and have been here every night,” Erbentraut said. “It is fun seeing them interact with the young kids, and I know that the young kids are looking up to them.”

Erbentraut, who promoted the camp at several area schools, said they plan to coordinate another camp in the summer.


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