SEMO women’s basketball host annual kids camp

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - The SEMO women’s basketball team hosted their annual kids camp on Thursday at the Recreation Center.

The Redhawks welcomed local players in grades one through eight to campus for a week with the team.

“Camp is a great way for us to meet the community even more,” said Heac Coach Rekha Patterson. “Little kids who dream about being a Division I basketball player and wearing a SEMO uniform get to come out here and hang out with them for a few days.”

Coaching the youth players brought back memories for some of the Redhawks.

“Just being around the kids, seeing their skill from young all the way up and looking back, I was one of those,” said senior guard Kori Tomlin. “Being around them is just fun. Every day is something new.”

However, that ‘something new’ isn’t always easy to handle when being responsible for a group of kids, which brought up a fun question: what is harder, a SEMO basketball practice or coaching kids camp?

“Definitely coaching kids,” Jaliyah Green laughed. “They get distracted fast,” added Julia Sion with a smile.”

“Camp is pretty tough because you do have to have a lot of patience and it’s like babysitting almost,” said Halle Smith. “You have to have your eyes everywhere at once.”

But not everyone was on the same side.

“Definitely practice,” Tomlin said.

Rekha Patterson had the last laugh.

“Oh coaching the older kids, the college kids, is way harder,” said Patterson. “These younger kids are amazing. I think our players have done a good job with our campers though. It’s funny because they say, ‘Coach sometimes they just won’t listen.’ I said now you know how I feel.”

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