Posted: 7/18/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Wesley Fane Coach Jolette Law talks with campers at Ubben Basketball Facility on Thursday.

Like most other collegiate head coaches, Jolette Law has spent her summer recruiting.

During her off days, however, her focus shifts to the long-term future: kids.

Law's basketball camps offer girls from kindergarten through high school an opportunity to work with the Illinois staff and improve their basketball skills at the Ubben Basketball Complex. Seven camps are offered this summer and the staff is in the midst of running session two from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. each day.

"It gives me the opportunity to work hands on with young people, teach them the fundamentals of the game, being able to inspire and motivate them and to be a role model," Law said. "Someone was (a role model) for me, and this is my way of giving back."



Law said she has seen multiple campers participate in more than one camp.

"The response has been good," Law said of the camps. "The kids have been coming in here and working hard. I want to make sure we build good relationships in hopes that further down the line, these kids can say I made a difference in their life."

For the campers, it offers an up close look at both the University and the basketball program. McKenzie Downey, 12, is the cousin of assistant coach Patrick Klein. Downey, who lives in Aurora, Ind., attended the Ohio State University's women's basketball camps when Klein was an assistant in Columbus. She said Law and the rest of her staff are present at the camps, which wasn't the case at Ohio State.

"(Law's) here every day and doing the drills with us," Downey said. "She's really energetic and comes up and talks to us."

Downey and fellow camper Amy Heiland, 13, said the camp has motivated them to work on their respective games and hopefully one day return to campus as a student. Heiland said she has the learned a lot on how to play defense - a staple of Law's coaching style.

"I've learned that you need to stay low on defense and that games like knockout are to help make you better," the East Moline, Ill., native said.

Continued...

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