Spartan Basketball Camp still a show on floor

LA CAÑADA — One session being taught the fundamentals of basketball wasn’t enough. Neither was a second.

So, Devin Sagarian found himself inside the air-conditioned La Cañada High south gymnasium for the third week in the last month looking to further craft a variety of drills at the 28th annual Spartan Basketball Camp that’s conducted by veteran La Cañada boys’ basketball Coach Tom Hofman.

Sagarian, 12, said he had a good reason to return.

“You come here to make yourself a better player and there’s always something more you can pick up that maybe you didn’t know the first time you came,” said Sagarian, a La Cañada Flintridge resident. “I just enjoy coming here and being able to learn from somebody like coach Hofman.

“It’s just an honor to be able to learn and receive some instruction from him and his [former and current] players. You learn about team work and that it’s not just about being a one-man show.”

Sagarian and about 75 participants were at work refining their passing, dribbling and shooting skills under the guidance of Hofman, who has piloted the Spartans to 22 Rio Hondo League championships and two CIF Southern Section crowns since taking over the program in 1986.

The three-session camp is geared for ages 6-14 and has attracted local participants from La Cañada Flintridge, Glendale, the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles. The camp, which began June 16 and will conclude Friday, featured beginning, intermediate and advanced players.

Hofman, who picked up his 600th career victory and led the Spartans to another league title and a trip to the CIF Southern Section Division III-A semifinals last season, marched around the court watching the participants go through a series of passing and dribbling exercises.

During the dribbling session, Hofman stopped by twice to offer instruction to Ty Reynolds. Reynolds’ father, Todd, played for Hofman during the 1993-94 season.

Ty Reynolds, 10, soaked up the advice before completing the drill successfully.

“It’s my fourth year in a row coming here and I always seem to learn something new,” Reynolds said. “He showed me how to correctly pass the ball.

“If you continue to practice the different drills, then you have a chance to get better.”

Hofman said each participant is given a final evaluation on the last day of each meeting, giving each of them a better understanding on areas of the game that they can still improve. In addition, contests are played during the final hour of each day to help supplement what the participants have learned throughout the session.

Hofman, who led the Spartans to CIF championships in 1992 and 2011 and a runner-up finish in 2007, said the campers have enough time to break down each drill and ask follow-up questions.

“At a camp like this, you evaluate who you are working with,” said Hofman, a former All-Area Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year. “You get some beginners and then you have the more advanced players.

“It’s important to go over the most basic drills that you will need to learn. At the same time, you just want them to go out there and have some fun. We tweak things here and there each summer. You would like to see them pick up something that will help them get that much better.”