The Grand County High School boys basketball team spent time together bonding and building trust as the team attended its final camp of the summer, a four-day camp at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado, June 24-27.
The Grand County High School (GCHS) Red Devils played 10 games each of varsity, junior varsity and C-team basketball, for 30 games total.
Many of the other schools at the camp were 4A-6A schools from all over the region, including Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Idaho, GCHS boys basketball coach Scott Horton said.
Although they didn’t see the same success in the win column as they had in previous years going to this camp, Horton said the GCHS Red Devils played and held their own.
“It’s hard to know what to expect,” Horton said. “A lot of the other teams at the camp were really good teams. We held our own and we didn’t ever get blown out — the most we lost by was 8 or 10 points. That’s pretty good when the other team has 1,800-2,300 students to pick from, and you’ve got 350-400.”
Horton said the primary purpose of this and other summer camps is to become closer as a group, an objective they accomplished in Grand Junction, he said.
“That’s the purpose of the camp is to get better as a group and come together,” he said. “We spend a lot of time together. We try to have everyone eat together, if we stop at a store, we try to all go to the store together, we spend a lot of time together. It’s good to be able to trust each other during the season.”
Horton said that there will be some open gyms between now and the start of basketball season, but for now he’s switching focus to the Red Devil football team, of which he’s the defensive coordinator.
“Coach (Drew) Birdwell does an excellent job,” Horton said. “He’ll be running some open gyms, while I focus on football.”
The football team has its first camp at Duchesne High School on July 17 and its first game on Aug. 16. The boys basketball team is subject to moratorium from June 30 to July 6 and Aug. 1-15 with preseason practice beginning on or after Nov. 11 and the team’s first game on or after Nov. 19.
Grand County High School aims to build team unity
“It’s good to be able to trust each other during the season.”
— Scott Horton
