Coaches have Burroughs youth basketball camp down to science

BURBANK — The Tribe Youth Basketball Camp at Burroughs High is structured and regimented, as all the activities for the four-hour sessions are detailed in a schedule displayed on the gym wall each day for the participants to see.

Part coach, part motivator, part drill instructor with a caring side, camp director Jay Bandele runs the sessions with precision and is motivated by helping young players improve their basketball skills.

“The entire day’s schedule is displayed so the players know what is expected of them that day and exactly what we will be doing,” said Bandele, who has been running various basketball camps for more than 17 years. “And all of our coaches at the camp have that schedule in their pockets so we are all on the same page. We are structured down to the minute and that just helps the camp run so much more smoothly.

“I have been with this particular camp since 2011 and I always love coming back to Burroughs. I have seen kids who were players when I first started here and now they are serving as some of our coaches. And some of those players are even playing in high school now for their varsity basketball team. ...It’s really nice to see the improvement in players like that over the years.”

The second session of the sixth annual Tribe Youth Basketball Camp concludes Thursday and a third session will get underway July 6-8 at Burroughs High. Players who are not pre-registered for the camp next month can show up the morning of the first day and sign up on the spot.

The camp is organized by two coaches with their share of experience and success, current Indians girls’ basketball Coach Vicky Oganyan and former Burroughs boys’ Coach Adam Hochberg, who stepped down following the 2015-16 season after leading the Indians to the CIF Southern Section semifinals. Oganyan’s teams have captured four straight Pacific League titles and have advanced to the CIF semifinals in each of the last two seasons.

“It definitely makes us feel good and makes us feel like we’re doing something right in the fact that a lot of kids come back every year and a good group of them sign up for a few sessions every year,” Oganyan said. “It’s also nice to see kids who have been in the camp in the past and now they’re incoming freshmen.

“Jay is really the one who makes these camps as successful as they are. He just has so much energy and he’s very good with the kids. Since he runs multiple camps and this is not his only camp, he knows how to run them, he knows how to get the kids excited and they learn a lot from him.”

Players, who were broken down into three groups by age and ability, received a healthy dose of basketball from Bandele, current Burroughs players and former players who stopped by to help instruct the campers.

In the camp, which featured more than 90 boys and girls ages 6-14, players were instructed in basketball skills like shooting, dribbling, passing and playing defense. They are also put through exercises to help strengthen their core. In addition, players were put into teams and got the opportunity to play in games.

One of the camp’s coaches is Burroughs senior player Jocelyn Rieken, who has worked the event for four years.

“As a coach, you really create a bond with the players and they really do like to play,” she said. “A lot of them know one another and they are just about having fun. For me, I try and bring a good attitude and really try and help them as much as possible and the kids really pick up on that.”

Although camper Connor Carber, 10, was all about having fun, he was serious about improving his basketball skills.

“I like how we get to play games and we get to pick teams and get to play against one another,” said Carber, who has been coming to the camp for three years. “I do like to have fun, but I also wanted to improve my shooting and this is a very good camp for that. I also like how in the morning before we play we get to do all these cool exercises. They really make it fun for us.”

Elliot Smolin, 13, was drenched in sweat after taking part in a four-on-four game against his fellow campers. Although tired, the athlete still had a smile on his face.

“This is my first year and it’s really been fun,” Smolin said. “It’s been great for me, because I’ve been able to learn new skills and we get to play a lot. I have been working on my long-distance shooting, so hopefully I’m better with that. This is a really good way to interact with your friends and play basketball at the same time.”

Said 8-year-old Isabella Davtyan: “I learned how to dribble with my left hand, that was so cool.”

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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com

Twitter: @jefftsports