550 pizzas. Over 2000 burgers. 40 gallons of Gatorade. These are just some of the numbers compiled at MVP Basketball Camp this summer. However, we take greater pride in the following: 1012 campers participated in basketball camp activities during our six weeks of camp. For the 24th year, MVP Basketball Camp has served the families throughout Westchester County to provide fun and quality basketball instruction for children from 6-16.
Our summer started on June 23rd with split camps at our Rye and White Plains sites. Resurrection School, in Rye, hosted our Juniors, Girls (9-13 years old) and Boys 1 (9/10 year olds) divisions. Our Boys 2 (11/12 year olds) and Boys 3 (13-15 year olds) worked out of the Eastview School in White Plains. The campers in Rye took advantage of the two air-conditioned gymnasiums as they rotated through one outdoor court. Rye High School Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Jon Aquilar spoke to our campers about his basketball experiences and took them through some varsity drills. In White Plains, our older boys worked through the heat (though indoors) to improve their games, while making new friends. Ronnie Nunn, a long-time friend to MVP, addressed the campers about his basketball experiences refereeing in the NBA for over 20 years.
During the 4th of July week, MVP held an intimate camper experience by holding two, two-day clinics. The first clinic emphasized individual skills that each player could develop to make themselves better. During the last two days, campers worked on team play as they worked on the two-man pick and roll and team defenses.
On July 9th, our entire camp moved to the Eastview School in White Plains. [We were displaced from our “home”, the Highlands School, because of renovations in the district.] The Eastview School has two large gyms and outdoor courts that we were able to modify to fit our camp needs. We added three outdoor courts to the existing two permanent structures. In our four weeks in White Plains, we managed one heat wave with two days of temperatures in the mid 90s. Our trainer, Amanda, carefully surveyed our campers and advised us of mandatory shade breaks and constant water breaks. Although many campers wanted to keep playing (where do they find the energy?), we limited our playing time. Often, rain and thunderstorms broke the summer heat. While we enjoyed a reprieve from the heat, we were limited to two gyms and had to be creative with our scheduling to try to maximize playing time. Luckily, we were able to find another gym at the School of the Holy Child. During the days that forecasted continuous rain, we bused campers down the road four miles to this site. There, campers enjoyed continuous playing time. This also opened up space at the Eastview School for the rest of the camp.
We have three goals for our campers each week: have fun, be safe, get better at basketball. We hope we provided an atmosphere where this was attainable. Thanks for being part of our summer. We look forward to seeing you again either in Rye or White Plains (Highlands School) in 2019 as we celebrate 25 years of camp!
We asked campers what one word came to mind when they thought of MVP Basketball Camp. Watch their responses in this brief video. We think it substantiates our claim that MVP is not just a place for fun and games (although there is plenty of that!) It’s also a place to develop life skills that can translate to the classroom and beyond.
2017 is here, and the leadership and coaches at MVP couldn’t be happier. The renovations at our main facility are finished and we are anxious to reap the benefits. Here are the changes that will impact MVP’s award-winning basketball camp in this, our 23rd season:
News about our White Plains weeks: Our main four weeks in White Plains will be hosted exclusively at Highlands Middle School from July 10-Aug. 4. (No secondary Delfino Park location this year)
News about our Rye and Bedford locations: Rye Resurrection and Fox Lane High School will be the host sites for our early June 26 full-week camp. Boys 9-10, Co-ed 6-8, and Girls 9-13 will be in Rye, while the Boys 11-12 and 13-16 divisions will be in Bedford. Parents can use either site as the drop-off and pick-up location for all campers. A bus will leave Rye at 8:25 each morning to go to Fox Lane, and then pick-up northern Westchester kids at 8:50 to go to Rye. At the end of the day campers in Rye will be dropped back at Fox Lane by around 4:05, and then campers at our northern facility will get back to Rye around 4:35.
News about our Rye “Skills Academy:” This camp for motivated and experienced 11 – 16 year old boys and girls will take place July 5 – 7 during this holiday week. We will hold the line at 100 campers total to ensure plenty of practice time for all, and outdoor courts will be utilized as well as the air-conditioned gyms.
News for female campers: We still offer programs for girls of all abilities ages 6 – 16, but the choices vary by week. All five-day camps can accommodate girls ages 6 – 8 in our co-ed group. Only our first week, June 26 – 30, will feature a girls-only division for 9 – 13 year olds of all ability levels. Only our three-day Skills Academy will feature a girls-only division for experienced 11 – 16 year olds. During our final four weeks, July 10 – Aug. 4 in White Plains, experienced female players will be placed in the appropriate boys age group if they wish to be challenged in this way, but MVP will not offer a separate division just for older girls.
Even with county-wide accolades like a Best of Westchester Award and a twentieth anniversary proclamation from County Executive Bob Astorino, MVP is hardly a household name in the northern reaches of the county. Yet for the second consecutive year MVP is offering a late June week in North Salem for boys ages 9 – 16 with free busing from Mount Kisco and White Plains. Executive Director Noel Muyskens explains why:
“First and foremost, the North Salem High School and Middle School complex is just a great venue,” Muyskens says. “It has two full-sized gyms across the hall from each other, plus outdoor courts for running teaching stations while the kids get a little fresh air. Even the cafeteria, where MVP serves lunch that comes with the package, is just down the hall from the gyms. And unlike some of our more congested venues in central and southern Westchester, drop off, pick up, and parking are a snap.”
Former NBA Referee Ronnie Nunn will be the guest speaker on the second day of camp. This Danbury resident, who also served as the head of NBA referees for a while, runs a very entertaining and informative clinic where campers get a refresher on the rules and then get to try their hand at reffing games.
If you think this program will be far less diverse than MVP’s other offerings, think again. Although there are not a lot of under-resourced children in the immediate area surrounding North Salem, MVP will again provide scholarships for children from the the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester as well as Pathways Academy in Danbury, Connecticut.
MVP’s 2015 camp at North Salem was very well received. Somers resident Johanna Townsend, whose son Nate has attended camps in White Plains also, said she thought the competition level was just as good up here. And like many parents of MVP campers, she sees the exposure to diversity as a real plus for her children. When asked about her son playing with kids from other parts of the county, she commented “that’s the best part about MVP in my opinion.”
Scholarship applicants need to send documentation of family income and a letter of recommendation from school in order to be a considered. Space should remain available up until the last minute. There will be four teams in each of three divisions, boys 9 -10, boys 11-12, and boys 13 – 16.
MVP will start the summer June 27 up at North Salem High School and Middle School, which features two full sized gyms, one right across the hall from the other. With three age groups there this summer instead of two, the outdoor courts at this facility will also be utilized. Free busing will be provided from Delfino Park in White Plains and from the Boys and girls Club of Northern Westchester in Mount Kisco.
For MVP’s “Skills Academy” the from July 5 – 8, MVP is happy to announce it’s first ever camp located in Rye at the Resurrection School on Boston Post Road. This facility features two air-conditioned gyms plus outside courts, making this an awesome site for MVP.
During its four weeks in White Plains starting July 11, MVP is very pleased to be back at our long-time White Plains facility, the Highlands Middle School. As an added bonus, the larger of the two indoor gyms at Highlands has been completely remodeled.
However, since the smaller Highlands gym is being re-done this summer and won’t be available, MVP is still placing two of its age groups for the White Plains weeks inside Ebersole Ice Rink at Delfino Park. This facility worked out really well last year. Parents and children loved that the space was open-air to allow for cool breezes but covered to keep away a baking sun or sudden shower.
To view specific addresses and maps for each location, visit the Camp Locations page on this website.
Welcome to MVP’s brand new website, which features an all-new online registration system on an encrypted SSL server. Whether you use this function or prefer the traditional pen and paper exercise, you will find that MVP has consolidated several processes into one.
There will no longer be a need for a separate “Health and Release Form.” Just be sure you fill in the required fields on the online form, or give us the information we ask for on the paper form, and we will have all the medical information we need to make sure your camper is safely in the hands of our well-trained staff and highly qualified certified athletic trainer.
Scholarship applicants will also find an all-in-one process without the need for separate forms for enrollment and scholarship request . You can also now use the online system to submit information if you prefer that over our paper form. However, you will still be asked to mail, fax, or email documentation of income and a letter of recommendation separately and you must wait for verbal confirmation that your scholarship has been granted before any weeks can be reserved and any additional non-scholarship weeks can be paid for at our new 25% off price.
