Printer Friendly Version - Madison Hoop Dreams Summer Basketball Camps a Success in Early Weeks

Pictured is Kazell Stewart with several campers from the Madison Hoop Dreams Summer Basketball Camp, as he made an appearance as a guest speaker in the program’s first week this summer. Photo courtesy of Chad Lyons

The first week of the Madison Hoop Dreams summer basketball camp was a huge success. There were three guest speakers that spoke to the kids, and one was Jack Driscoll. Driscoll spent many weeks each summer from third to ninth grade at Madison Hoop Dreams. He played varsity basketball and was an offensive lineman in football for Hand. He then attended UMass, played football, and graduated in three years. Driscoll went on to be a starting offensive lineman at Auburn for two seasons while getting his Masters degree. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles for four seasons and will now be an offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins.

Kazell Stewart was a two-time All State basketball player and a McDonald's All American nominee from Prince Tech in Hartford. He was a captain his senior year when the team was undefeated, going 23-0. Stewart now plays for Head Coach Scott Burrell at Southern Connecticut State University. He is 6'5" with a 40" vertical jump. After his talk with the campers and a question and answer session, he showed the athletes many spectacular dunks.

Coach Rich Pagliuca is one of the top high school coaches ever in Connecticut. He talked with the campers and demonstrated a variety of offensive moves. He also led several competitive drills and contests.

In the second week of camp from June 24 to 28, the primary guest speaker was Tyler Olander. Olander is currently an assistant coach at St. Joseph University in Hartford. He attended UConn from 2011 to 2014 and was a significant player in the Huskies winning two national championships in 2011 and 2014. After college, he played basketball in Europe before injuring his foot and returning to UConn for rehab. During that time, Andy Blaylock (UConn baseball coach) helped him train to impress the Toronto Blue Jays, and he played in their baseball system for three years before returning to Europe to play basketball.

Madison Hoop Dreams has four weeks of summer camp (the weeks of Monday, July 8, Monday, July 15, Monday, July 22, and Monday, July 29). People can check out the camp’s website, www.madisonhoopdreams.com, for more information and to register.