Players and coaches help kids up their game at AUBL camp

Thirteen-year-old Mao Yanmin has dabbled in many sports — taekwondo, martial arts, street dance — but nothing quite matches the thrill of basketball. The elegant dribbling, the clean arc of a perfect shot: to her, all feel powerful and cool.

This summer, that passion deepened. At a basketball training camp in Hangzhou, she learned the nuances of shooting form and defensive technique, discovering a new side to the game she already loved.

"The coach had us lie down and feel the correct force for shooting, which helped me improve my hand positioning and shooting form," Mao recalled. The results came fast. "I used to struggle to get enough strength for a three-pointer, but now it feels completely different."

The camp — co-hosted by the Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) and the Joe Tsai Basketball Scholarship — combined fundamental drills with playful games, allowing children to sweat, laugh and grow. It wasn't just about improving skills; it was about experiencing the joy of basketball.

AUBL players joined as assistant coaches, mentoring the young participants, playing alongside them and passing down their love for the sport to a new generation.

"I learned many of the finer details thanks to the assistant coaches, the university players who corrected our movements one by one," said Mao.

"My defense before was kind of aimless. Today they taught me not to stray too far from the person I'm guarding, how to read the ball's direction and get into position and how to make steals."

Leading the camp was Greg Stolt, a former NCAA player and seasoned coach. Among the dozens of boys in the program, Mao was the only girl — a fact Stolt won't soon forget.

"She was fantastic," he said. "When you're a 13-year-old training with a group of boys, it can be intimidating. But she didn't show it. She went out there, she tried, she participated, and we didn't treat her differently."

The program covered everything from basic dribbling, passing, and shooting to dynamic positioning drills, each session building naturally on the last. Stolt paid special attention to shooting, emphasizing the details — from grip to release angle — while correcting each child's form personally.

"I was trying to teach them skills and drills that, even if you don't have a coach, don't have a court or don't have a teammate, you can still practice at home — and even if you don't have a ball, you can still practice," he said.

For Stolt, who idolized Magic Johnson and went on to play NCAA basketball himself, the camp was also about planting seeds.

"The beauty of the system in China is you can play high school basketball, college basketball and you can be a CBA player. You can participate in the Joe Tsai Basketball Scholarship camp and be selected to go to the United States to play high school basketball there," he said. "There's a ton of opportunities here to pursue basketball and sport."

Having worked in China for 13 years, Stolt has seen the game at every level — from grassroots courts to the CBA — and witnessed a steady passion for basketball. What he hopes to see now is more girls like Mao stepping onto the court.

"There's an element of basketball that helps you in life — dealing with adversity, communicating with teammates, staying active — all these things come with the game. So we do want to promote more opportunities for girls."

The camp also provided a valuable experience for the young university players assisting him. Before the sessions began, Stolt encouraged them to step into a mentor's role, shifting from being coached to doing the coaching.

"They did everything, and they actually went above and beyond. I think they all have futures in coaching," he said.

For 20-year-old Zhejiang University player Liu Kaibo, it was a rare chance to learn from an experienced professional. "It's not often you get an opportunity like this to communicate with such a professional coach," Liu said.

One moment, in particular, stuck with him: at the very start of the camp, when the children shuffled slowly toward the court, Stolt sent them back, telling them to run in again — this time with energy.

"He sees training and playing basketball as something serious, something that deserves your full focus and strict self-discipline. That really left an impression on me," Liu said.