One Nation, Under God

Post play a focus in 2018 Mavs Camp

The North Country Mavericks hosted their Fourth Annual North Country Mavericks Basketball Camp in Whitewater last week and it seems they want to bring back scoring in the post.

"There really isn't much for post players anywhere in the state," said North Country Camp Director Darin Cummings. "When you try to go to camps in the summer, there is not much for post players. So, if you get a coach at a camp that can really teach post play, utilize it."

Cummings' sister Linda Hudyma (Cummings) who grew up in Malta and helped lead Malta to back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, has been a coach at the North Country camp in every year of its existence.

"I came up here to work with my brother Darin (Cummings) four years ago," Hudyma said. "And the first year we did just a girls camp and then we had people asking us if we would do a boys camp, so we started that our second year."

The boys and girls share the week of camp often being grouped separately.

This year's camp drew a large number of athletes from all over the state, about 80 total.

"It's good," Hudyma said. "Our numbers are good and I think we are somewhere around the 80 kid mark. There have been fundamentals (revisited) and plenty of playing. We have a very experienced coaching staff and the kids are great this year."

During the morning from 9 a.m. to noon, the fourth through seventh-grade boys and girls shared the courts, while athletes in eighth through twelfth-grade boys and girls had their session at 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The event drew several coaches including college athletes, high school coaches and high school athletes including current Lady Mavericks coaches Amber Erickson and Charlene Wasson, former M-ette standout and current University of Montana guard Sophia Stiles, former Whitewater player and coach Darin Cummings, former Saco-Whitewater Panther and Montana State University Billings guard Jace Anderson, current MSU-Northern Skylight Morgan Mason and former Harlowton standout Madison Wasson.

"I have worked at a lot of camps over the last 20 years and we have as much expertise and teaching here than almost any other camp that you could go to," Hudyma said.

Though all of the experience could be intimidating, Hudyma believes that the campers have done well.

"The kids here are really good," she said. "They listen really well. I love to see some of the kids that have come over the past couple of years. You look at them now and think, wow, they have really improved."

Hudyma also knows that if an athlete goes to Maverick Camp, they mean business.

"If they are going to come to Whitewater to go to camp, they are committed basketball players," Hudyma said.

While many of the coaches working on ball-handling and guard work, Hudyma presents the camp with a unique opportunity to learn moves in the post.

"I think post work (playing with your back to the basket) is few and far between these days," Hudyma said. "Everyone wants to face up, so I love getting a post player that's going to get down there and body up."

Hudyma went on to say that because the camp can offer post work, a few players were attracted to the camp.

"I have seen a few of them use this stuff," she said.

The topic of the Glasgow-Malta rivalry came up and being that she was a hero for the Malta M-ettes in her high school career, Hudyma is not weirded out by the fact that she now coaches in Glasgow.

"One Hi-Line town is just like the other," Hudyma said. "They are so similar. I still wear blue and I still see some of those Malta people still wearing red sometimes just to show support, so it's all good."

 

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