This is Camp Darryl......(what we're about!)

[GoatCow#1]

I'm reserving this thread for past and present members of the Camp Darryl Basketball Academy to post what was/has been gained by joining our program.
I'm always asked all of the time by parents/players who're interested in our program.

I'd like for some of you to share your feelings about the program. How it helped you/your son? Share a story or two! I'm hoping that we've helped everyone who's participated.

Thanks,
-Darryl

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 10, 2008 07:42 PM: Message edited by: GoatCow#1 ]</font>

[skedgdad]

Hopefully this summer will be our 4th year of Camp Darryl, with one son, Bryan, that graduated from the program and one, Adam, that may be on the 17u team this summer!

We benefited each year from playing top-notch teams in high-profile tournaments. We were amazed, at times, with the number of coaches sitting on the sidelines watching. We didn't always win our games, and although that's nice, it isn't necessary in order to gain important benfits from the experience.

One of the things we, as parents, appreciated most, after some early experiences with other teams, was the excellent communication and coordination of Camp Darryl. While playing for another group - we weren't always sure where we were going and who would be there when we got there. Darryl is an excellent communicator and very organized, and when you've lived through the other way of doing it - you really apprecaite the effort he makes.

The competition and good coaching has helped both our boys play better high school ball. Our older son, Bryan, early on wanted to play college ball. Darryl listened to him and worked hard on making contacts for him. Then - Bryan decided he'd had enough b'ball and chose not to pursue college ball. Ahhhhh! But - that is life.

Which brings me to another important part of Darryl's program. It's made up of a great group of parents, kids, coaches, and is led by a caring guy (albeit he can get "emotional") :-) We've enjoyed being around the parents and kids and have seen what that aspect has meant to our kids. We still laugh about watching our younger son, Adam, on the bench as the boys decide where they were going to eat after the game!

Don't get me wrong - no program is perfect. What in life is? But with 5 years of AAU behind us, we can honestly recommend the Camp Darryl experience. And we do! We've recruited players from the Hastings area, and they've benefited from it!

And hopfully, we'll be finishing our AAU experience with Darryl this summer, and we know that if Adam STILL wants to play college ball, as he says he does now, Darryl will do all he can to help him!

Steve and Michelle Skedgell

[Patty Hill]

The experience we had with Camp Darryl was like a breath of fresh air after spending a few rocky years involved in other AAU leagues. The two years our son, Jason played for Camp Darryl was a great experience and we feel very lucky to have been a part of it. It was an opportunity to compete against top-notch teams at a higher level than what Jason was use to.

Camp Darryl is a very well organized organization. The schedule that is set at the start of the season never waivers, which is important. The exposure to college scouts is an important aspect as well. As a matter of fact, Jason was recruited and is now playing college basketball. Darryl worked very hard to make that dream come true for Jason!

Like any good coach, Darryl can be tough, but his love for the kids and the game, and putting the kids best interest first, makes him the person the players look up to and respect.

The two years we spent with Camp Darryl were the best! We recommend Darryl and his organization to anyone.

Mark and Patty Hill

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 10, 2008 09:08 PM: Message edited by: bballdays ]</font>

[CoachO]

I don't even know where to start when sharing my thoughts as a member of the CDBA. First, I hope everyone who has something to share...does, because these posts are what make the program the family that it is.

Having coached with the CDBA for the past five seasons, this year will be the first in five that I will not be with the program. I have relocated after graduation and truly dread not being a part of the program this coming season.

I have witnessed first hand the love that Darryl has for his players, their families and the program he has built from the ground up. The sacrifices that he makes are immeasurable and the hours spent countless. I can only be fortunate that I have had a mentor like Darryl.

Oddly enough, basketball usually isn't the topic of conversation between Darryl and a player. He stresses working hard, being accountable and becoming a responsible young man in life, not just hoops. Everyone who has ever played in the CDBA knows if the grades aren't there...neither is a spot on the team.

Having the privilege to coach w/ Camp Darryl, I have traveled to places I thought I would never go, met plenty of fine young men I still talk to today and gained a great deal of leadership traits and organization skills.

If you or your son has the opportunity to be a part of the Camp Darryl family, I guarantee it will be an AAU experience like no other.

I was sincerely blessed to be invited into a program, I mean family, like Camp Darryl.


Coach Jeremy O'Sullivan

[stanhope20]

Wow, there is not enough that I can say about having the opportunity to be apart of the Camp Darryl basketball program. I spent my last two years of high school playing here and the only thing I can honestly say is that I wish I would have been there as I was growing up. None the less, I got in two great years here that helped me grow tremendously as a basketball player. I made some great friends that I still talk with today. People say it's a family environment and it may seem funny, but that's what it really is. That's what I enjoyed most about playing with this team.

I'm very excited about the chance to come back along with a few of the other guys I hung out with from Camp Darryl and help coach. This gives me the opportunity to give back a little bit of what I received while I played here. Thanks Darryl for giving me this opportunity.

Looking back, I wish I would have known about Camp Darryl earlier. I would loved to have played for him a few more years. If you are considering trying out for Camp Darryl, I highly recommend that you do.
-Bryce Stanhope-

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 11, 2008 11:53 AM: Message edited by: GoatCow#1 ]</font>

[DClore]

David (my son) and I particpated in the Camp D travelling basketball circus (just kidding) during four seasons from 2002 through 2005. David's game improved, and coaches recruited us at the level for which they (the coaches) thought David was best suited. The single most important lesson we learned, I believe, was loyalty and the on-going importance of relationships (not just basketball relationships). After tryouts with another team in 2002 (U14), the organization we were with decided not to field a team. A friend directed us to Darryl and he let us try out late and join (he had two U14 teams). We were the first to drive from SJ each week. During Spring Break of our first year, Our U14 coach scheduled a practice for which only two players showed up. Coach worked with those two players for nearly a full practice. It was after that practice that Coach Glenn, who had played College basketball, asked me if David wanted to play in college, and encourgaged us to stay after it as he felt David may develop the skills neccesary. At some later date, Darryl scheduled a practice (maybe a pre-season shootaround) and ONLY David showed up. Darryl worked with David one on one until he (David) had enough. When I couldn't accompany David to Las VEgas, Darryl took him anyway.

Every year, a few kids (or their parents) quit after the first or second tournament, thinking that this was not what they signed up for, and most years, key players from the year before decide to go elsewhere. When two key players didn't return for David's U17 season, Darryl was stunned, I think you could say, and considered closing shop. He told me he felt like he must have had done something wrong. Well I told him as long as their was a Camp D, that's where we would be. We considered the folks who left friends, and still do, but it WAS a shock. we expected to field a really special team that year, and now things looked bleak, but damned if I would quit on Darryl after all he did for us....The season turned out fine, and the two boys who left, in my opinion, received the same sort of college offers they would have received if they had stayed. After it was all said and done, I remember Darryl saying that we really didn't want kids to play with us against their will, so maybe it was all for the best. David got recruited, but we made a friend in Darryl, who has turned out to be one of the most positive influences in our lives. One funnystory about optimism and postivie spin : once we beat a team 91-89, and Darryl says "uh yeah guys, it was our defense that one that one for us.." Everyone looked at him like he was crazy and someone finally said "coach, they scored 89 points on us" Yeah, says Darryl, "but we played good defense on the last shot to keep it from going into overtime".

That's what Camp D is all about in my opinon.

[Kamp]

Playing for Camp Darryl did many different things for me. First it gave me the opportunity to get court time, which allowed me to improve my game, get some exposure and the confidence I needed when I returned to my high school team. After a few up and down seasons in high school, I wasnt really able to seperate myself from other high school players when it came time for college recruiters.

During my 1st season with Camp Darryl, Darryl and Kevin White became my 2 biggest supporters and having them believe in me really changed my entire demeanor. They showed me that I was a capable basketball player. That I was capable of starting on varsity and playing college. It was really what I needed at the time to be able to play with confidence.

I will tell this story, Davenport University had seen me play at one of our tournaments and had been contacting Darryl about me and wanted to see some game tapes of me. Darryl drove to my house in Mattawan in a snowstorm to pick up my game tapes so he could give them to the Davenport coaching staff. I ended up signing a letter of intent with Davenport a few weeks later.
Thats just something that I will never forget and will never be able repay Darryl for.

Ultimantely each person determines their own successes or failures, by their work ethic, attitude, mental toughness and talent. Camp Darryl is a platform for a player to show each of those things by giving them the opportunity and sometimes thats all a player needs.

By the end of my college career I ended up with alot of successes and I dont think they would have been possible had it not been for Darryl and his program. Even now that I am done playing for Camp Darryl and have graduated college, I am still just as close with Darryl as ever. Im sure my story is just one of the many players he has helped throughout the years. I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to play for Camp Darryl.

Clark Rowekamp

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 13, 2008 07:54 PM: Message edited by: Clark Rowekamp ]</font>

[Maggiano]

Our son, Kai, has been involved in some sort of organized spring/summer basketball program since the 7th grade. He is now a high school junior. Camp Darryl has been the best basketball experience he has had during these years.

The first thing that stands out from a parent's perspective is the organization. In the past, we were never totally sure if games would be played or cancelled. Sometimes we would show up at a venue and half of the team or the coach would not be there to participate. At Camp Darryl, everything is clearly spelled out for athletes and parents throughout the season. This is very helpful to parents who need to plan schedules accordingly.

The coaches are first rate. Last season, Kai played with the 16 and under group and had Jason Rattering as his coach. Jason got along with his players very well and the players respected him and learned a great deal from him. The nice thing about camp Darryl is the exposure to all the coaches and their different styles of coaching. The practices combine all the players from all age levels. This gives the players the opportunity to glean knowledge from every coach on the team. Kai's basketball skills and knowledge about playing the game has improved tremendously over the summer. This improvement has paid dividends during his current high school season at Okemos. He is playing the game with much more confidence and improved offensive and defensive skills.

On a personal note, I have enjoyed the Camp Darryl experience as much as Kai. The relationships that I made with other parents, as well as with Darryl and all the coaches have been great. Last summer was an experience I will not soon forget...and I know I speak for Kai.

I highly recommend Camp Darryl to anyone who is serious about playing competitive basketball this spring and summer. The competition you will face, the improvement in your game, and the friendships you make, will create an experience that will serve you well on the court and also in life. And...you will always be part of the Camp Darryl Family!

[Patty Hill]

This is Jason Hill. I player for Darryl from '05-'06. Darryl made my AAU experience all I expected and more. Darryl helped me improve my game through all the intense, competitive practices where he focused on each positions' needs to become a better player. He scheduled the best competition every weekend in order to make his players the best they could be. Darryl brought a family atmosphere to all of his teams. He stressed the family aspect of the team all throughout the season and you could tell when we went out to play every game. All of his teams played so well together. And the thing that he did for me, and so many of his players, that I appreciate so much is the job he did with recruiting. I remember one weekend where I, individually, had one of the worst performances of my life. I thought all the colleges would be done looking at me after that, yet Darryl had top college recruits there for me once again the next weekend to see me play. He gets your name out there to college coaches and does a great job with it. To this day, Darryl is more than a coach to me. He is my friend. We still talk very often about not only basketball, but about life. I know Darryl will always be there for me and I am extremely proud and thankful for playing for Camp Darryl, and I would suggest Camp Darryl to anyone who loves the game because you will get a coach who loves the game and cares about winning just as much if not more than his players.

[jphil31]

For those of you who do not know who I am, my name is Jared Phillips and I was one of the original three members of the CDBA (and partially responsible for the name "Camp Darryl").
I met Darryl TEN years ago at the Courthouse in Kalamazoo when he was assisting with AAU tryouts. After a two day tryout with which there was no coach yet my mother was able to convince Darryl to coach rather than just helping out and the rest as the saying goes? is history. I played until I was 16 for either the Courthouse or CDBA under Darryl and Kevin White and had the most fun of my youth. We traveled to many tournaments around the Midwest and Country. I learned so much more than basketball. Immediately after my playing career ended I stepped in as an assistant coach, then as a head coach within CDBA. Darryl truly cares about not only developing basketball players, but developing young men.
I am now a program assistant at Xavier University (comically, the 'first member to go D1? from CDBA) and I cannot effectively explain to you what I have witnessed in terms of lack of integrity across AAU programs in the nation. Nearly all programs have less than legitimate business or people looking to exploit youth for their own personal gain and that is not what CDBA is about. Darryl looks to give every player the opportunity to succeed and extend their career at any level. As an example, it is well documented that coaches will hold their program?s star players ?hostage? unbeknownst to them aligning their willingness to commit to a school with their own motives. Parents are relatively unaware of these types of threats but believe me when I say they are everywhere. Camp Darryl does it the RIGHT way?players first.
Being part of a major division 1 program for a four full years I have come to know what college coaches are looking for in recruits. First of all coaches look for fundamentally sound players. Work ethic, the unofficial motto of CDBA, is just as important. College coaches want to know players are willing to work hard --- and as we all know nothing comes easy at Camp D. I could continue but you get the idea. Darryl has centered his program with developing basketball players to reach the highest level at the forefront. If you need any proof that Darryl is of the highest integrity in the way he runs his program, look at the number of former players singing his praises. Every year former players are coming back to start their coaching career and be a part of this special program.
Darryl has set a terrific example of how youth sports programs should be run and I hope someday my children will be able to participate in a similar program (perhaps this very one). He has made an immeasurable difference in my life and I will be willing to come back and assist as much as possible in the coming years. If you want your kids to become more than just terrific basketball players, but quality young men, then this is the best choice in Michigan and the Midwest.
If you have any questions for me feel free to email at [email protected] or give me a call at 269-352-5166. Thanks and good luck this year boys! Remember when you put on the jersey, you don?t only represent yourself and your family, but you represent all of us that have come before you and will come after you in the future.

Jared Phillips