Lake Catholic hosts youth basketball camps for area players

From PreK beginners to ninth-graders, Mentor-area youth basketball players had an opportunity in July to learn and compete without joining an elite travel program. Lake Catholic High School held its Cougars Basketball Camps 2026 at its campus, 6733 Reynolds Road, with separate sessions tailored to younger children and older boys and girls.

The July 7–10 boys camp served students in grades 3–9 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. A Junior Cougars Coed Basketball Camp followed from noon to 1 p.m. for children in PreK through second grade. Both camps emphasized more than basic recreation. The program was designed to develop complete basketball players by improving on-court skills, athleticism and basketball IQ through technical instruction, sequenced drills, guided game-situational play, and physical and mental conditioning.

Campers worked on shooting, dribbling, ball-handling and defensive skills, along with offensive and defensive development and team play. Sessions combined skill-development stations and structured games—3-on-3, 5-on-5 and 1-on-1—with participants grouped by similar age and skill level. The Junior Cougars Coed Camp welcomed players of all skill levels.

The Boys Basketball Camp cost $100 per participant, while the Junior Cougars Coed Basketball Camp cost $80. Both registration fees included a camp T-shirt. Registration was available through the school's summer camps page, with inquiries directed to [email protected].

Lake Catholic also hosted Girls Basketball Camps from July 20–23, 2026, for players in grades 4–6 and 7–9. The grades 4–6 camp ran from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and the grades 7–9 session was held from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Matt Moran serves as head boys basketball coach at Lake Catholic High School, a private Roman Catholic high school in Mentor with approximately 505 students in grades 9–12.

The Lake Catholic camps were part of a broader summer basketball calendar offering families options after school-year programming ended. Mentor High School hosted Mike Moran Basketball Camps for boys and girls ages 6–14 in two sessions, June 15–19 and June 22–26, 2026.

The Mentor Community Recreation Center also offered multiple youth basketball sessions during summer 2026: June 15–18 for ages 5–8, June 22–25 for ages 9–14, July 6–9 for female players ages 8–13, July 13–16 for ages 9–14, and July 27–30 for ages 5–8. Registration for City of Mentor summer programs began April 6, 2026, for residents and members and April 7, 2026, for non-residents and non-members.

Beyond those summer camps, the Lake County YMCA offers year-round youth basketball programs for ages 5–14 that teach fundamentals, teamwork, sportsmanship and perseverance.