ROCHELLE — Lady Hubs varsity basketball coach Tony Rowan always stresses the fundamentals, but he also wants his players to have fun and enjoy the game, regardless of their level of experience.

There was plenty of excitement inside the auxiliary gym at Rochelle Township High School Monday morning, when Rowan and several Lady Hub players ended the first day of the team’s youth basketball camp with a classic game of “sharks and minnows” to emphasize dribbling techniques. The young girls (minnows) maneuvered from one end of the basketball court to the other, while Lady Hub players (sharks) chased them down.

“They bring so much energy,” Rowan said about the campers. “It’s a challenge for us at times to match it, but they just love everything that’s thrown at them and it’s up to us to make sure they’re getting a little bit better while they’re having fun.”

The Lady Hubs run two youth basketball camps, with grade-schoolers taking the court this week and middle-schoolers arriving next week. For the program’s youngest campers, Rowan said the main goals throughout the week are to teach the basic skills needed to play basketball including shooting, dribbling and passing techniques.

“The biggest thing is we want them to have fun,” Rowan said. “If they have fun with it, they’re going to be doing it next year, and they get more precise with their techniques as they get older. We have about 18 campers doing it this week, and if we can grow those numbers next year it’s going to be huge for the program.”

As Rowan continues to rebuild the high school program, the Lady Hub head coach is aiming to build excitement at the youth level. He said he’s looking to build numbers through the program’s youth basketball camps so more girls will aspire to play the game in the future.

“A lot of it is just meeting each other and gravitating toward some new friends,” he said. “As long as they have a basketball in their hand… If we can get them started early it’s going to be a huge benefit for them later in life.”