By Chris Curtis, Contributing Writer
Hudson – ?Over the course of four days, July 29 through Aug. 1, Hudson kids in grades in ages 4 through 9 had the opportunity to not only learn the fundamentals of basketball but to also hear tips from successful players and coaches. Now in its second year, the Hudson Hawks Boys Basketball Futures Camp was overseen by Mike Mercuri, Hudson High School's (HHS) head coach, and Jay Roan, the HHS freshmen coach.
Mercuri noted that he is happy to see that there is an increased interest in the sport in Hudson's youth.
“There is a lot of interest in basketball now in Hudson,” said Mercuri. “It has always been predominantly a hockey town but I think we are starting to change that a little bit.”
The program offers many drills and exercises to help the young players improve their game as well as written evaluations. Special guest speakers included Togo Palazzi, a former player for the College of the Holy Cross and NBA veteran; former Providence College player Matt Palazzi, who is also the all-time scoring leader for St. John's High School; and Bentley University head coach Mark Wentworth, who previously had coached at both HHS and Hudson Catholic High School.
“We have a good core group of younger players that have a great time, we keep them busy pretty much the full 9-3 day,” Mercuri said.
The four-day program was sponsored by the Hudson Recreation Department.
