Worried that
your child’s love of sports means her academics are going to
suffer? Or, conversely, that your straight-A student will never be able to achieve great
athletic success? That’s just the myth that the staff of DOSA (Division-One
Student Athlete) Basketball Camp is working to debunk.
The program was
created in an attempt to deflate the idea that being valedictorian and a star
athlete are mutually exclusive—students destined for separate paths. DOSA focuses on
the values of hard work and discipline, as well as Basketball IQ and Division-1
skills, in order to challenge athlete-campers intellectually and physically. Staff members are all current members of Ivy
League collegiate teams and have dedicated themselves to both basketball and
academics throughout their lives.
The camp founder Armani Cotton
has spent the past 15 years
training at camps across the country, working under NBA and Division One
collegiate players to perfect his sport, but according to Cotton, too many of
these camps were conducted by former players and past coaches removed from the
current basketball scene. In addition,
many camps perpetuate the idea that academics and athletics are not related. Enter the purpose of DOSA, which values top
notch training by players who are still active in the game while pursuing high scholastic
achievement.
At DOSA camp, each two-hour
day is broken into three parts, targeting the different skills needed
to become a better athlete. Campers spend 45 minutes on
skill development, from shooting to footwork, 30 minutes on group
instruction, including offensive and defensive schemes, and their final 45
minutes in organized games divided by age and skill level.
DOSA is offering individualized and small
group week-long clinics for children ages 9-14, at all skill levels, through July 1. Your
child will receive a daily progress report from his or her coach and
then view a video montage featuring footage of their progressive
on-the-court skills. For more information, send an email to
DOSAthlete@gmail.com.
