BonnerSprings.com

Bill Self's roster swelled from 14 to 800 in mid-June. And unlike the issues he faces as the coach of one of America's elite basketball programs, such as fan and media pressure, the biggest obstacles he faced with increased numbers was finding enough face time for each of his new players and making sure everyone got enough ice cream.

Such is life at the Bill Self Camp. The 2007 edition brought many youngsters to Lawrence looking for instruction from the famous KU coach and his players. Self was joined by high school and college coaches from around the state, as well as his current Kansas University basketball roster, and former KU players including Aaron Miles, Michael Lee, Nick Bradford and Billy Thomas.

"There is about one coach to every eight campers, which is always a good selling point," said Pittsburg Middle School basketball coach Doug Banto. "The kids have fun. They get to spend the night. They get ice cream in the dorm. All the players are around where they can autograph stuff; kids really enjoy that. All of them come around, and all of them are great at signing autographs."

Andy Meyers, 11, Leawood, came back for a second year. He convinced three neighborhood friends to join him.

"You learn the fundamentals: passing, shooting and dribbling, and then you learn more advanced things like jab-step and how to drive on a man and the fade-away shot," Meyers said. "And the coaches are really nice, too. I liked it because it taught me a lot of stuff in the first year and the fact that Bill Self is one of the best coaches in the country and Kansas is one of the best teams."

The boys follow a regimented schedule while at camp. Beds are asked to be made after wakeup ("Probably the only time of the year that they do that," Banto said). After breakfast, the campers are shipped to their respective courts. The youngest campers, starting in third grade, made way to Schwegler Elementary School. The oldest campers, in high school, practiced at Allen Fieldhouse.

After practices, campers return to their dorms. The campers are split: the youngest half stays at Naismith Hall while the older campers stay at McCollum. Lunch is then served, which gives way to free time. After dinner, campers return to their gyms for an evening of scrimmages. These games last until 10:30. It is then back to the dorms for an 11:00 bedtime.

Banto said they encourage players to continue practicing when camp dismisses.

"If you don't pick up a basketball the rest of the year, none of this will help you," Banto said. "We give them the fundamentals, and if they choose to use it, which a lot of them do, they will become better basketball players."

Ryan Stoskopf, 11, Leawood, said the highlight of his week was a talk from KU star point guard Sherron Collins.

"He told us to keep on playing and never let down your teammates and keep your head high," Ryan said.

Banto, who has coached at the camp for eight years, said Self visited his gym three out of the four days. He said the coach plays a prominent role in the camp that bears his name. He also said KU legend and current assistant coach Danny Manning was frequently in the gyms instructing campers.

"That is one of the big reasons (to attend the camp)," Banto said. "They can come to a good camp, they can see players that they know and have seen on TV, and sometimes they don't know who Danny Manning is, they don't know who Billy Thomas is, or Woodbury. They know the current ones. It's like, what have you done for me lately? The kids can relate to the guys they have seen on TV."

Banto has been bringing his kids to camp for the last two years. He plans to continue coaching at the camp indefinitely. He likes the experience of making friendships with other coaches and instructing young players in a fun atmosphere.

"We want them to have a nice experience," Banto said. "For some kids, this is their one week of the whole year. Sometimes they don't even play basketball, but they have a grandparent here (in Lawrence), so they get some time here. It is neat. It does good."