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FastBreak Invitational Camp w/ Andrew Bogut
June 8, 2009 – Singapore The inaugural FastBreak Invitational Basketball Camp took place this morning at Catholic High School. NBA star Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks was on-hand as special guest to open the 3-day camp. The invite camp is being organized by Michael Denzel, Director of the FastBreak Basketball Club. Assisting with the camp are members of the FastBreak coaching staff and coaches from Catholic High and Kranji Primary School. Four members of the Singapore American School varsity boys & girls basketball teams are helping as counselors. 70 primary school boys and girls, ages 10-12, participated in today’s event.
Bogut is here as a guest of FastBreak to support its grass-roots development efforts. This is his first trip to Singapore, but certainly not his last. “I am grateful for the invitation from FastBreak to visit Singapore," said Bogut. "I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the city, though adjusting to the heat has been tougher than I thought – especially on the outdoor court today!” The camp was the final stop of his stay. Camp opened with a stretching session led by Andrew, then a short contest, after which players were split into three groups and moved to separate courts. Bogut rotated twice between all three groups, ensuring plenty of time with all. In the first rotation, he demonstrated and worked with the players on a series of drills to improve their lay-up and shooting skills. The emphasis of the second rotation was on contests. Bogut ran a series of games to reinforce the fundamental skills taught earlier in the day -- shooting, ball-handling, passing, etc. – but adding elements of competition and fun.  | One of the highlights of the day, no doubt, was the dribble tag game, pitting Bogut and the FastBreak coaches against the kids! |
When asked at the end of the day for their favorite moments of the camp, one player replied: “Playing against an NBA player and trying to score over him. He is so tall!” Bogut spent the whole morning at the camp, and worked-up quite a sweat, splitting his time between two indoor and one outdoor court. “This camp was a fantastic step forward in our efforts towards greater cooperation & integration with the local Singaporean basketball community,” said Denzel. “With an NBA player of Bogut’s caliber in attendance, we wanted to do something special.” “Thus, we invited players from three of the top basketball programs in Singapore to join us.” In addition to the Singapore American school, the camp includes a strong mix of players from: Kranji, the reigning JR Boys and JR Girls national champions; Choa Chu Kang (CCK), the reigning SR Boys and SR Girls national champions; and Catholic High, who have won 3 of the last 5 national championships for secondary boys (B division). Continued Denzel, “The underlying theme of integration has a strong role in the set-up of the camp. The players are split into groups containing a balanced mix of boys & girls from the various schools. We are encouraging greater interaction between the kids from different programs, and I sincerely hope that every child goes home after the camp having made at least one new friend.”
The FastBreak Basketball Club currently offers basketball development programs for children ages 4 to 18 at two venues in Singapore. For more information, visit us at www.FastBreak.com.sg
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