June 9, 2010
About 1,200 basketball players here this weekend
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
They are coming back this weekend. Nearly 1,200 girls basketball players will descend on Ocean City for the 4th annual
Basketball at the Beach Showcase.
The event will be held in several local venues this weekend. Games will be played at Ocean City High School, Belhaven Avenue
Middle School in Linwood and at Richard Stockton State College in Pomona. Several OCHS athletes (including Kelsey Ladd,
Emily Gillian and Reilly Larkin) will be participating.
This is the largest of the four events with 117 teams registered from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia,
Pennsylvania and Delaware. Teams will range from 10 and Under to 17 and Under. Games will begin at 8:00 a.m. and continue
until 6:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
All high school age groups will be playing at Richard Stockton, where more than 50 Division II and Division III coaches are
expected to be in attendance. This is not an open period for Division I coaches. Quality junior high teams will be playing at
OCHS and The Sports & Civic Center at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk. The youngest group of athletes will play at Belhaven
Middle School in Linwood.
In addition to the almost 1,200 athletes, this event generally brings over 4,000 visitors to Ocean City for the weekend. This
has become a community event that stands to generate a great deal of revenue to local businesses. Once again the tournament
is sponsored by FMBA Local #27. In addition, several local businesses and service organizations have provided assistance and
donations. The Boardwalk Merchants Association has been actively involved.
Profits for the event are shared with the boosters clubs for OCHS field hockey and girls & boys basketball. One admission
allows fans to visit any of the four venues on that day.
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In a couple weeks we will publish the first of our annual lists of summer sports camps, focusing on those during the final
three weeks of July. A little later, a second edition will deal with those scheduled for August. This week, we offer a list
of a couple handfuls of camps that are scheduled to begin later this month or the first week of July.
June 28-July 1: Nothing But Net Camp at Richard Stockton College for boys from 9am-2pm featuring NBA players Rip Hamilton,
Andre Iguodala, Jonny Flynn, Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson. For information phone 609-626-6818.
June 28-July 1: Baseball and Softball Camp at Holy Spirit High School for boys and girls aged 5-14 from 9am-noon under the
direction of Keith Gorman. For information phone 609-646-3000, extension 315.
June 28-July 2: Raider Hoops Basketball Skill Development Camp at Ocean City High School for boys and girls in grades 5-8
from 9am-noon under the direction of John Bruno with Phil Schaffer, Matt Whitworth and Trey Severs. For information phone
609-335-7197 or 609-602-3061.
June 28-July 2: British Soccer Camp at 6th Street and Haven Avenue for ages 4-17. For information phone 443--844-3033.
June 28-July 23: Gymnastics Camp at Sports and Civic Center for ages 6-12. For information phone 609-525-9304.
June 28-August 20: Ocean City Morning Sports programs at Sports and Civic Center for ages 8-13. Eight weeks of activities
include basketball, soccer, track and street hockey. For information phone 609-525-9304.
July 5-8: Ocean City Junior Lifeguards Camp at First Street Beach for boys and girls aged 9-15 from 9-11:30am. For information
phone 609-525-9304.
July 5-9: Envy Lacrosse Camp at Tennessee Avenue Complex for girls aged 10-17 from 9am-noon under the direction of
Mary Fran Riffel. For information phone 215-694-6316.
July 5-9: Spartan Basketball Camp at Holy Spirit High School for boys and girls aged 7-14 from 9am-4pm under the direction
of Jamie Gillespie. For information phone 609-383-1184.
July 5-9: Lacrosse Evolution Camp at Tennessee Avenue Complex for boys aged 10-17 from 5-8pm under the direction of Tom Slate.
For information phone 610-873-9910.
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