School in session at Basketball, Training and Fitness Camp
GLENDALE — Desks and whiteboards are nowhere to be found inside the Pacific Community Center gymnasium.
However, class is in session on the basketball court once Tony Passarella blows his whistle to begin another day at the 14th annual Basketball, Training and Fitness Camp.
It’s essentially a classroom on the hardwood and Passarella, a resident of Glendale, treats it as such during the 10-week course that examines fundamentals and conditioning.
“When I’m coaching, I’m teaching,” said Passarella, who is the basketball coach at the Pacific Park Community Center and runs comparable camps that last 10 weeks in the spring, fall and winter. “We have rules and that’s to pay attention when we are talking about a drill and then doing the drill. It can be anything from stretching the right way to learning how to shoot properly.
“That way we’re all on the same page and then improvements can be made. Then we can do something else.”
Passarella conducts a class Thursdays geared for ages 5-7, followed by a session for ages 8-10. The camp brought in residents from Glendale, Burbank, Atwater Village and surrounding towns.
Full-court scrimmages are held for about the final 10 minutes of each session following the completion of drills covering shooting, rebounding and dribbling.
“You see where you need to improve after each class,” Passarella, 69, said. “It’s a process and I’ve had people come back to the camp on a consistent basis and I’ve had others who have come back after not attending for a couple of years.
“They all have the ability to be better. It comes down to discipline and wanting to succeed in doing the drills the right way.”
Several campers said Passarella serves as an impeccable role model.
“I’ve known Tony for a long time and I’ve been to his camp a lot of times,” said Julian Jimenez, a resident of Atwater Village whose younger brothers, Evan, 7, and Luca, 4, also attended. “It’s his personality and his passion to inspire you to be a better athlete.
“He’s a teacher and he’s about showing you how to do things right. He’s got a lot of patience and he gives you a lot of responsibilities. It’s a lot like being in school and he just wants to see you succeed.”
Jayden Park of Glendale grasped the drills taught by Passarella. Park, 8, went through a conditioning exercise before grabbing a basketball.
“I’ve been here two or three times,” said Park, who attends Mark Keppel Elementary School in Glendale. “He’s watching you [in all of the drills]. He’s taught me how to shoot the ball the right way.”
The next 10-week class will begin in September at the same location. For more information, contact Passarella at www.coachtonyshoops.com.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
