The initial group of the North Arlington basketball camp gathered for a group picture last week, under the guidance of high school head coach Rich Corsetto (far r.).
When it comes to learning about the sport of basketball, there’s always room for growth, always room for improvement and always room for something new.
Other towns in the area have offered summer basketball camps for youngsters, but unfortunately, for some reason, North Arlington was always on the outside looking in.
In the past, if a young resident of North Arlington wanted to learn more about basketball, they had to go to camps in neighboring towns or try to improve their skills on their own in the local schoolyards or hoops in the driveway.
However, thanks to the brainchild of recreation liaison and assistant basketball coach George Rotondo, the wheels were in motion to allow North Arlington to have its first-ever basketball camp for youngsters.
Rotondo brought the idea to the North Arlington Board of Education, which gladly accepted it. Oliver Stringham, the superintendent of schools, was all for it. So was athletic director Dave Hutchinson.
Bob Crudele, a North Arlington alum and the president of the North Arlington Recreation Basketball, also came aboard and was willing to help out at the camp.
The camp was held last week at the excellently air-conditioned high school gym, with 35 youngsters getting the chance to enhance their skills, under the tutelage of Vikings head coach Rich Corsetto.
“I had camps before at Passaic Tech and Passaic County College and worked at a few camps, so I had an idea of what we could do here,” Corsetto said. “George was the one who did all the leg work and put it all together. We didn’t know how many kids we would get, so to get this kind of turnout is a blessing.”
The week-long camp gave the youngsters a chance to learn fundamentals.
“We wanted to teach them things, basic skills that they could use to get to where they have to be when they get older,” Corsetto said. “The best thing about it is that they get to hear our voices before they come to high school.”
Assistant coach Marcello D’Andrea was like a high school kid again, running up and down the floor with the campers as he instructed. Former North Arlington players Jonathan Hurley and Jose Checo, both of whom just recently graduated, served as counselors as well.
Kearny High head coach Bob McDonnell was a guest speaker one day as well.
Needless to say, there were a lot of knowledgeable basketball people gracing the Ferguson Gym last week.
All that knowledge certainly helped reach the minds of the impressionable campers.
“I think this is a great thing, especially for beginners,” said 12-year-old Rocco Acuna. “They took the time to teach us the proper way to shoot. It was very good and it was a lot of fun. I’m definitely coming back next year.”
See, it appears as if a trend has been started in North Arlington.
“I love basketball,” said 12-year-old Jared Velazquez. “I want to play basketball all the time. When I get older, I want to be ready to play in high school.”
Since Velazquez loves basketball so much, he was overjoyed when he received the flier about the camp.
“I was excited about it,” Velazquez said. “I took it home to show my parents right away. I wanted to be here. I’ve definitely learned a lot. I heard from new coaches, like the one from Kearny. All these other coaches came to help out. It definitely encourages me and makes me want to play more.”
Tony Alho is a promising 11-year-old player.
“I wanted to be here, because basketball is fun,” Alho said. “I like playing basketball, but I like learning about it as well. When I was in second grade, I really didn’t know much about basketball and had to learn by watching others. Something like this is great for the younger kids. It’s important for them to pick up things that will make them better.”
Alho was asked what he worked on the most in camp.
“Shooting foul shots,” Alho said. “Shooting in general. I think I got much better.”
That’s the reason for the camp, to help kids learn and improve, while having a good time.
“Yeah, this was fun,” Alho said. “I would probably be doing nothing right now if I wasn’t here.”
All those who organized the camp deserve a lot of credit for having the wisdom and foresight to pull it over. It was a rousing success.
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Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”