»NEWS |
SDSU coaching staff returns to Red Cloud (Mackensie Casey returns to help with summer camp) PINE RIDGE – For the second time in three years, South Dakota State’s head men’s basketball coach, Scott Nagy brought his coaching staff and players to Pine Ridge Reservation. Nagy, his assistant coaches Deryl Cunningham and Rob Klinkefus and players Mike Loney, Mark Engen, Mohamed Berte and Mackenzie Casey wrapped up their two day camp Thursday. Individual skills development in basketball was offered to 48 K-6 youngsters in the afternoon and to 30 boys and girls in grades 7-12 in the evening. “This offers us a great opportunity to bring SDSU basketball to different parts of the state,” said Nagy, “we like to get out and work with ball players from all parts of the state, we were in Kadoka earlier this week.” Ball handling, shooting, agility and defensive drills were mixed in with one on one competition, scrimmages and motivational talks. Casey graduated from Red Cloud in the spring of 2004 and has played basketball the last three years for South Dakota State while working on his degree in secondary education and coaching. Casey has played in arenas from New York to California, from Florida to Missoula, Montana, with opportunities to play against Dee Brown at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois and Rajon Rondo at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY Mohamed Berte is 6’8’ and is from the Ivory Coast in Africa, Michael Loney is a 6’6’ senior from Iowa and Mark Engen is a 6’10” post player from Minnesota. Red Cloud scheduled their own basketball camp for girls and boys set for June 18-21 and June 25-28. Grades 1-8 will go 1-4pm each day and grades 9-12 will go 6-9pm each evening. Basketball fundamentals, skill development, games and contests were featured over the two week camp. “Summer camps offer an opportunity for our young athletes to get to know a sport better, a sport that they enjoy,” said Matt Rama, Red Cloud head boy’s basketball coach, “for high school students, it offers opportunities to improve their skills, especially in fundamentals and different parts of the game like ball handling, shooting, defense or rebounding especially if they are thinking about going to college and participating in a sport.” The camps at Red Cloud are individual skills camps; high school varsity and junior varsity teams have the opportunity to play in team camps, leagues and tournaments as well during the off-season “It has really been special to do a camp in Mackenzie Casey’s home town,” said Nagy, “we know he has been a very positive role model to young athletes all across the state in particular to Indian Country, Mackenzie has been a really positive asset to our team over the last three years.”
CUTLINE
Mackenzie Casey, 2004 Red Cloud graduate(back center) returned to Red Cloud high school for the South Dakota State University basketball skills camp last week with his three coaches and three of his teammates; Casey stands with (from left to right) Front row: Garret Richards, unidentified, Mato Black Horn, Will Garnier, Cody Martin, Robert Martin, Jr., Alana Holiday, Middle Row: TJ Nagy, Alejandro Rama, Caleb Two Hearts-Giles, Kellon Blacksmith-Rouillard, Sydney Richards and RJ Jensen. Casey returns for his senior year this fall at SDSU, he has played on the SDSU men’s basketball team all three years. Photo courtesy Jennifer Schaer/Red Cloud.
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