USAO Hosts Multiple Athletic Summer Camps
Defender, Butch Hampton, used his years of soccer knowledge to control the tempo of the game while at Science and Arts.
June 1, 2022
The athletic programs on the campus of USAO are looking to share their wealth of knowledge once again this summer. Several athletic programs will welcome young athletes into their facilities starting in early June. Basketball, volleyball, softball, and soccer have camps scheduled for ages ranging from kindergarten to high school seniors. Each camp will utilize their impressive coaching staffs, along with current USAO players to connect with the young athletes in as many ways as possible.
Darrick Matthews, USAO’s seventh-year women’s basketball coach, will kick off the summer with his Mini Skills camp. This camp welcomes young girls, in grades kindergarten to fourth, to practice their fundamental skills. This camp will be July 13-16 with Coach Matthews working with the athletes from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. The camp costs $115; each participant will receive a camp t-shirt, as well.
Coach Matthews’s second skill camp is for young girls, ages fifth through ninth grade. This camp will run from June 13-16 with Coach Matthews working with the athletes from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The camp’s registration fee is $165 and will include a camp t-shirt.
The final camp in Coach Matthews’s arsenal is a prospect camp for ninth through 12th graders. All the camps will focus on improving player’s fundamentals, skills, defense, and decision-making abilities. Participants, for all camps, will have access to concession stand snacks, beverages, and candy.
Coach Francis, USAO’s seventh-year men’s basketball coach, will be hosting three camps this summer. The first camp, the Elite Camp, will allow players to compete against talented players and potentially be added to USAO’s prospect board. The camp is June 18 from 1 pm to 5 pm, and will cost $75 and will include a t-shirt.
Coach Francis’s two-day Shooting Camp dives into specific shooting instruction starting June 21. The $50 camp welcomes players first through eighth grade into the Fieldhouse from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
The final camp for Coach Francis is a skills camp June 28-30, with players receiving instruction from 9 am to 12:30 pm. This camp will focus on skills, drills, and scrimmage situations.
As Coach Hampton enters his 25th season at USAO, he once again welcomes young players to partake in his residential camp July 9-11. The camp is for players nine to 14 years old and will allow them to live in Sparks Hall for two nights, with 24-hour supervision. The registration fee is $350 and includes three days and two nights with eight meals, five training sessions, three evening games, one 6v6 tournament, and a camp t-shirt and ball. The camp will be led by 13 experienced coaches and assisted by 13 counselors, all of which play on USAO’s soccer teams.
Coach Hampton’s College ID camp and High School camps run from July 13-15. The College ID has the same benefits as the residential camp for $350. This camp is designed for prospective USAO players and works to recreate the environment that USAO players operate in. The High School camp is a three-day camp designed for coaches to bring their full team to learn and bond as one unit.
Aminah Orozco is looking towards her second year as USAO head volleyball coach. Coach Orozco has three camps set for the summer to assist developing players with their fundamental volleyball skills. The first camp, Little Drovers, is for third through fifth graders. The camp cost $80 and will span from June 20-21. The event will run from 9 am to 11:30 am.
The next camp, Junior Drovers, is for young players ages sixth through eighth grade. This camp cost $80 and will take place after the Little Droves camp from 12 pm to 2 pm June 20-21. This camp will focus on the fundamentals of passing, setting, attacking, defense, and serving.
Coach Orozco’s final camp, Lady Drovers, is for 9th through 12th graders. This camp costs $120 and players will receive coaching from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm June 22-23. All of these camps focus highly on fundamentals and will have current USAO players on hand to demonstrate different skills.
Registration links:
Coach Matthews:
Coach Francis:
Coach Hampton:
Coach Orozco:
Emily Loughridge is a sophomore Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
