Last week, Head Coach Robert Benson had the chance to teach his most important basketball tips to girls in sixth through ninth grades at his annual East Paulding girls basketball camp.

Every day the camp is set up the same way with various types of training throughout the day.

“We start with some stretching and running, then we do agility; some full court drills, then fundamental stations. We play some competition games then do more conditioning with relays,” Benson said.

Benson said he stresses offensive and defensive fundamentals.

Since these girls are middle-schoolers, Benson gets an early look at some of the girls that may be on his team in the future.

“The camp lets me know what I have coming in the future. It also lets me emphasize to them what I feel is important,” Benson said.

Benson started his coaching career 20 years ago as an assistant at North Gwinnett High School for four years and Wheeler High School for one year. He moved to East Paulding High School in 1997, starting out as the boys’ assistant basketball coach.

After seven years, Benson was offered the position of head coach for the girls’ basketball team. In his eight years with the team, Benson has had more than 100 wins, four state playoff appearances, a Sweet 16 appearance and two region championships. He has also coached 15 girls into basketball scholarships.

The girls’ summer basketball camp, according to Benson, has been an annual happening since the school first put a team on the court in 1992.

“There has always been a basketball camp. There have only been four head coaches and each one has had a camp,” Benson said.

While the school hosts a camp every year, there is some inconsistency in the number of participants.

This year the camp had eight participants.

“We’ve gotten as many as 40 and as few as three. The numbers are up and down,” he said.