‘Shot Doctor’ helps young athletes improve their game

SACKETS HARBOR, New York (WWNY) - The Shot Doctor made an appearance in Sackets Harbor this week as part of an annual basketball camp.

The four-day-long Shot Doctor Basketball Camp wrapped up on Thursday at Sackets Harbor High School.

The camp, which started in 1999, saw 144 kids attend this year, 64 in the morning and 80 for the afternoon session.

Sackets Harbor basketball coach Jeff Robbins says the camp focuses on one specific aspect of the game.

“The purpose of this camp really was developed to provide kids with the instruction to master their proper shooting technique,” Robbins said. “The Shot Doctor has a shooting technique called the successful six that he teaches the kids. We film every single kid shooting the ball and then they have a one-on-one breakdown with the Shot Doctor, so it’s an offensive camp really focused on shooting the basketball with proper technique.”

The kids in attendance are fifth through twelfth graders and the instructors on hand stress to the players the importance of honing their skills year round and improving their game in order to become successful on the hardwood.

“I do think it’s important kids play other sports and are well rounded in that sense but with the skills in the game of basketball, dribbling, shooting, you really have to kind of fine tune those and work on them and put the time in in the off season,” Shot Doctor shooting clinician Paul Connolly said. “I tell the kids this is the time of the year that players are made. Players are made in the off season and then the teams are kind of made and built you know during the winter.”

Sackets Harbor senior Tyler Green has been attending the camp since the third grade and says the camp has been a big part in improving his game and making him one of the best players in the Frontier League.

“It’s a great camp to meet new people, have fun and with Doc, he’s working with your shot,” the point guard said. “You know you get that perfect shot going so it’s a good chance to work on your shot but also have fun with other people.”

Connolly says the earlier basketball players start attending camps like these, the better chance they will have of developing into well-rounded players like Green.

“These young kids, that’s the age I really love getting them and teaching that technique so they can learn the proper fundamentals,” Connolly said. “What happens with young kids when they first start shooting is they shoot with two hands, so we really try to break it down into a shooting hand and a non-shooting hand. Those are terms the kids probably know and hear from me all the time.”

The Shot Doctor Basketball Camp, hoping to develop the kids of today into the basketball stars of tomorrow.

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