Mercer Island girls hoops camp is on the horizon

Youthful girls basketball players will have the opportunity to gain immense knowledge and instruction from the members of the 2017 Class 3A girls basketball state champion Mercer Island squad.

Mercer Island girls basketball head coach Gillian d’Hondt, along with 2017 MIHS graduates Anna Luce and Kailee Yan, are leading the annual Mercer Island junior hoopsters summer basketball camp. The camp, which is offered to girls basketball players between kindergarten and eighth grade, will take place from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., June 19-22 at Mercer Island High School. D’Hondt said the camp is focused on providing attendees with one-on-one attention.

“We’re really excited to be able to build on our success and hopefully continue to grow our program. The girls see that hard work pays off. It is a smaller camp and is very hands on. The girls (Luce and Yan) are really going to enjoy coaching and they want to help campers get better,” d’Hondt said. “That will be really fun to have two state champions, seniors and alumni lead the camp with me.”

Luce will play collegiate basketball at Dartmouth College and Yan will continue her hoops career at California Lutheran University.

“A lot of these kids have grown up watching these girls play. They have watched them succeed and now they will be part of it with them. I know that will mean a lot to the girls. The girls look up to them,” d’Hondt said of Luce and Yan.