Mountaineer Campers Learn Important Lessons From SVC Coaches, Pro Harrington
BENNINGTON, Vt. - With the first day of school creeping closer, there are limited days of summer camp fun remaining. Throughout the past week, the Southern Vermont College Athletic Center was filled with enthusiasm and learning during five straight afternoons of the 2010 Mountaineer Basketball Camp.
"It was truly a fantastic week," SVC men's head basketball coach Michael McDonough said. "Every single day, these kids came in excited to learn and improve. They all worked very hard to get better and were very attentive to soak up all of the lessons our instructors taught."
The camp had a total of 18 campers attend, which was a definitive increase from last year. During the five days, the Mountaineer coaching staff and experienced counselors worked with the students on offensive fundamentals, defensive essentials and overall tactics.
"This week was a lot of fun," third-grade camper James Sullivan said. "I learned a lot."
The camp schedule also called for organized competitions, which ensured the young athletes improved as the week moved along. The only problem for a large portion of the campers was that fourth grader Matthew Corey, from Bennington, brought his hot shooting hand to school each session - winning a majority of the shooting competitions despite facing off against athletes twice his age.
"The shooting games were fun," Corey said. "I just stepped up to the line and shot; didn't really care about anybody else."
The young attendees had the opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced instructors in the local area, as SVC coaches David Bromirski and McDonough were accompanied by established upper-level players. Former SVC standout Nick Harrington returned to the area from playing professional basketball overseas solely to help out at the camp. The camp's coaching staff was filled out by former MAU swingman and current Emerson College player Dan Bisaccio, as well as past Cambridge point guard and current College of Saint Rose player Shea Bromirski.
"When I was younger, I wish I had the opportunity to learn from the likes of Harrington, Bromirski and Bisaccio," McDonough said. "All three of those guys are excellent role models for these kids, as they all really, truly love the game of basketball and understand the intricacies of the game."
As the week of learning came to a close, Harrington now returns to the improvement of his own game in hopes of chasing down his ultimate dream of playing at the highest level - the NBA. The 6-foot-7 forward is now entering his third season of professional basketball after beginning his career with the Cottbus White Devils in Germany and completing this past year with Grengewald-Hostert in Luxembourg's First Division.
"Everything continues to go well for Nick," McDonough said. "His story just keeps getting better and better, as the kid from Brooklyn continues to improve and play basketball at the professional level in Europe."
Harrington proved he had talent to compete in the professional ranks during his first season, leading the White Devils in both scoring (18 points per game) and rebounding (14 rebound per game). That Cottbus squad finished the year with a 24-6 record, strong enough for second in its division. Unfortunately, Harrington's individual success during the 2009-'10 campaign didn't mean the same for Grengewald-Hostert.
"Overall, the year went alright," Harrington said. "Honestly, we should have done better as a team, but we just had a couple of serious injuries that really set us back.
"At the end of the year, we were able to finish strong and stay in the division by avoiding relegation. We actually knocked a team down at the end of the year, which was a nice way to finish."
Harrington is returning to Luxembourg to play with Grengewald for a second straight season in hopes of overcoming the injuries that set the team back a season ago and climbing the standings. Despite the squad's mediocre season, Harrington had an impressive individual campaign.
During this past season, the former SVC leader paced his current Luxembourg team by averaging 30 points per game, along with 18 rebounds per game.
"I really had a lot of fun this year," Harrington said. "I enjoyed another new experience and did everything I could to make our team stronger. When I came in [Grengewald-Hostert] wanted me to play a leading role and I did ... played power forward and grabbed as many rebounds as I could."
Harrington's greatest accomplishment came in the league's All-Star game, as he scored 37 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and ripped on the rim with an astonishing 14 dunks. After dominating the contest, Harrington was named Most Valuable Player - another honor to add to his growing resume of accolades.
But Harrington won't sit back and enjoy the compliments as long as he probably should, because his main goal of playing in the NBA still remains out on the horizon.
"As I play each year, I really feel I'm getting stronger, getting better and understanding the game better than I did the year before," Harrington said. "Just like the kids that came to this camp, I'm trying to mold myself into a better player every single day. I'm trying to get to the next level.
"I truly believe that the sky is the limit and I'll do everything I can to get there someday."
