Minot High alumni launch hoops camp
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Two Minot High alumni who went on to play at the college level say they want to give back to the next generation through their 1st Annual Magic City Hoops Camp Monday through Wednesday, July 20-22.
Eric Wentz and Deonte Martinez have organized the camp for youth in grades 3-8.
Wentz, a 2022 Minot High graduate and member of the school's basketball team that went on to win a state title that year, has been in Minot this week to finalize the logistics.
He said about 40 youth have signed up so far, which was the goal, but additional registrants are welcome up until the camp start time on Monday.
Boys and girls in grades 3-5 will have sessions from 9 a.m.- noon, and grades 6-8 will have sessions from 1-4 p.m. in the Minot High main gymnasium, accessible through the school's front entrance.
For advance registration or other information, families can email ericwentz3@gmail.com.
Wentz recalled his own experiences when he was young in attending basketball camps across North Dakota and Minnesota.
"Always had a positive experience, and that's kind of what kept me playing. So, I kind of wanted to do the same thing for the next generation and give them an opportunity to have fun during the summer," he said.
Wentz said he and Martinez want to bring the best parts of the camps they enjoyed growing up. The camp will offer all the fundamentals, including passing, shooting and dribbling.
"One thing we're really going to want to hit on is the things outside of basketball," he said. "Teamwork, attitude, all those great things that kids should learn at a young age that sports bring them. We're going to have some fun competitions as well - some competitive games, some five on five, three on three."
Skills competitions will be part of the event, with small prizes awarded.
"It'll be super fun," Wentz said.
Wentz said he played a variety of sports growing up but fell in love with basketball.
"The best part about it was the friends you meet along the way, and coaches. Obviously, that's the best part of any sport, but I know Deonte and I really hit it off," he said.
Wentz met Martinez through basketball and after-school weight-lifting. Martinez was a senior on the Minot basketball team that finished second in state in 2021. He was named North Dakota Powerade Player of the Year that year.
Wentz said he started giving Martinez rides home to Minot Air Force Base and their relationship evolved into a friendship that has continued to last despite their separate paths.
Wentz recently graduated with a data science degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, which competes in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in Division 3. He played basketball his first three years. He took off his final year, which now enables him to use his last year of college eligibility at MIT in Boston, where he will pursue a master's degree.
Martinez went on to participate in basketball at Bismarck State College. He continued to play after his transfer to Florida College and later transfer to Georgia Gwinnett College in Georgia, where he graduated with a business management degree.
Both Wentz and Martinez were all-conference players in college.
Although this is their first experience in running a basketball camp, they began helping at basketball camps in high school. Wentz said he has coached at numerous camps over the past several years.
Wentz said the cooperation of the community in supporting Magic City Hoop Camp has been appreciated. The hope is to augment existing basketball camps that Minot State University and Minot High typically offer and potentially encourage more youth from area communities to participate, he said.
"For development, it's huge," Wentz said of the importance of the camp experience. "Getting kids in the gym in the summer is huge, especially just growing that interest level, making sure that kids are being competitive year round.
"But also, I go back to the camaraderie," he added. "We want kids to realize that basketball is fun. You can develop great relationships. The biggest thing is just putting a smile on the kids' faces and, hopefully, getting them to want to come back next year."