By Terry Dinan

NEW CANAAN – Seven year-old Chase Graber saw his opportunity and he took it.

Chase Graber, 7, of New Canaan launches a shot at the New Canaan Rams winter break camp on Monday, 2-17-14. (Terry Dinan photo)

With his opponent handling the ball high and away from his body, Graber made a clean steal and headed up the floor for an easy layup.

“He dribbled the ball and didn’t put his hand out,” said Graber, a student at South School. “I just went and charged after it and I tried to score.”

Later in the game, Graber used a head fake to clear some space from two taller, older defenders.

“I knew they were going to try to block it because I’m not really so big,” said Graber. “I just wanted to fake it, then try and make it.”

And make it he did, hitting nothing but net.

Cooper Dinan, 8, channels his inner Tyler Ennis under the watchful eye of Rams head coach Mike Evans. (Terry Dinan photo)

Graber’s success story was just one of many at the first day of the New Canaan Rams winter break basketball camp. Hosted by NCHS Varsity coach Mike Evans and his players, the camp gives elementary school kids the chance to stay active during vacation while learning the basics of basketball.

“It’s an opportunity to teach the youngest kids the right fundamentals they’ll need going forward, and it’s an opportunity to teach the kids who are older than them what they need to fix,” said Evans, who is overseeing the camp for the second consecutive year. “Overall it’s an opportunity to get kids playing hoop. It’s tough to get gyms in town because they’re in high demand, and it’s great to just let kids play.”

Chris Harrison of New Canaan reacts after sinking a bucket at the New Canaan Rams winter break camp on Monday, 2-17-14. (Terry Dinan photo)

Chris Harrison reacts after sinking a bucket at the New Canaan Rams winter break camp on Monday, 2-17-14. (Terry Dinan photo)

The clinic – which runs Monday through Friday from 9am -12:30pm at the NCHS gym – is broken down into two parts. Campers spend the first part of the day split into small, age-specific groups and go through fundamental drill stations manned by the varsity Rams. The last 30 minutes of camp are spent scrimmaging, putting the newly learned skills to use in real-game situations.

“We do a lot of fundamental stuff, and we also let them play and govern themselves,” Evans told NewCanaanite.com. “We don’t even ref, we just let them go up and down because that’s a great thing for them too.”

NCHS junior forward Claude Chandonnet is one of several Rams assisting Evans with the camp. He recognizes that part of the motivation for the current athletes to be involved with the youth program is to ensure their sports continues to evolve here in town.

“We’re just trying to get all the kids excited about New Canaan basketball, and show that it’s a good sport to play and that everyone should be able to work on it and try and get better,” said Chandonnet. “We’re also trying to inspire kids who don’t usually play, who maybe play other sports, and get them to notice that basketball can be a big thing in New Canaan.”

Evans has already noticed an increased level of interest in basketball, which could continue to lead to an uptick in the quality of play in the youth and travel programs.

“I’m seeing attendance skyrocket at the kindergarten and 1^st grade levels, which is great,” said Evans. “At the travel basketball level, our teams are doing better than they did last year and they’re beating teams that historically they haven’t been able to beat.”

If the enthusiasm at day one of the winter camp is any indication of what’s to come, New Canaan has a very bright future on the hardwood.

“It was really fun, because I know a lot of people doing it and I’m friends with a lot of them,” said New Canaan third grader Andrew Nolan, 8. “It was really cool.”

Andrew Nolan, 8, drains a jumper at the New Canaan Rams winter break camp on Monday, 2-17-14. (Terry Dinan photo)

“General interest is the first thing we have to increase in town – we have that box checked and now it’s our turn to teach the game the right way,” said Evans. “The kids are coming into the gym and it’s our responsibility to teach them the game. Teach them when they’re young so don’t have to teach them when they’re older.”