LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL - The sweet sounds of summer aren’t just at the beaches. They’re also in high school gymnasiums.

“It’s my favorite part of the summer is doing these things,” said Lakewood Ranch boys basketball head coach Jeremy Schiller.

Basketball camps are back in full swing after not taking place in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“I have been doing camps for 21 years and I think this is the most excited that everyone has been,” said Schiller.

Schiller runs camps over a three-week period for athletes entering 2^nd grade all the way to entering 9^th grade. This year’s sessions hold a special meaning for Schiller.

“The amount of parents that said ‘my kid didn’t play basketball for a year, we are excited to have this back’ – it breaks your as someone that loves basketball so much and knows what it offers to kids beyond the skills,” Said Schiller, who told Spectrum Sports 360 that these camps raise enough money for his program to travel to big tournaments during the season.

Schiller and his staff of coaches and players are making sure each camper gets a better feel for the game and even feel a sense of normalcy.

“Get better at basketball – that is what its about,” said Luis Morales, who is a varsity assistant at Lakewood Ranch.  “Then giving back to our community, because our community has been lacking anything because of COVID.”

Another aspect of these camps is building relationships. For Mustang players, it’s a chance to pass down wisdom to the next generation, just as it was done for them years ago.

“My personal favorite part is seeing the interaction between our players and the kids,” said Schiller. “They’re now all these guys’ superheroes. They come back to watch our games and go ‘oh I remember Chad, or CP’ or say ‘that was my coach’!”

Those bonds and memories will lead some of these campers to call themselves members of the Mustangs basketball program.

“One day they’ll wear the green; they’ll lead the charge and be the stampede for the future,” said Morales.

“Kids that used to come to our camp ten years ago had an opportunity to play in a state championship in 2019,” Schiller said. “It’s getting our community back connected with our high school and one day, hopefully, they’ll want to be Mustangs and play for our team.”

It’s fun to think about the future. We can do that with the pandemic on the decline. But the most important thing for these coaches is making sure these athletes simply enjoy being at a basketball camp again.

“Just to see all the aspects of the game, and them having fun, is what I really, really enjoy, because when it is all said and done, it is about the kids,” said Morales.