Paul Foringer, coach of the Quince Orchard High School varsity boys’ basketball team and director of the Gaithersburg School of Basketball, announces the winners of the day’s skills competitions.
Lakelands resident Jack Faroane had this to say about basketball camp: “It was fun learning new offensive drills.” That statement exemplifies the reason Quince Orchard High School (QOHS) varsity boys’ basketball coach and basketball summer camp director Paul Foringer has been running his camp for 19 years.
“We want to have a competitive edge with games, but we also want them to have fun,” said Foringer. “A kid that has fun doesn’t even realize he is learning basketball fundamentals. That kid is going to come back and play again.”
The camp is officially called the Gaithersburg School of Basketball, and Foringer takes the title in its most literal sense. “The reason it is called ‘a school’ is because we want to teach kids how to play, not just put them in game situations all day without giving them the basics to build on.”
Foringer has been shaping basketball players in Montgomery County for over 30 years and has been honored as “Coach of the Year” an impressive six times. His philosophy of stressing academics, fundamentals, citizenship and team play are in part responsible for former and current players’ willingness to work at the camp each year.
Kentlands resident and current QOHS varsity player Tobin Pagley said, “I love working with the campers. It is a great experience for me. It is also cool for them to work with us during the summer and then see us play during the season.”
Camper and Kentlands resident Nick Mallus said, “The counselors are so easy to talk to, and we get to play multiple games a day. It is so much fun.”
The camp was sponsored by the city of Gaithersburg up until three years ago when Foringer said his program was dropped. He said he received a letter from the city by way of notification.
“The letter said they were not going to be offering the camp any more, which was tough because as a high school coach, I can’t run my own camp without a nonprofit to sponsor me. It is the rule in Montgomery County so I had to find another sponsor,” he said.
In stepped the Chuck Costolo Basketball Association. This group subsidizes athletes and campers who could not otherwise afford to play organized sports and is a perfect fit for Foringer, who said, “I want basketball to be a positive experience for all kids.”
This summer, the camp is offering five week-long sessions and a shooting camp, which “we always schedule around the Fourth of July. We limit that session to about 25 kids over two days so we can work more on a one-on-one basis,” he explained. While the first two-day shooting camp had to be cancelled as a result of storm-related Montgomery County Public Schools closures, Foringer was expecting a good turnout for the remaining shooting camp days.
Camper Carter Boswell, a Lakelands resident, said, “We worked on all kinds of drills and worked on my weaknesses. I loved it!”
For more information on the camp, visit gaithersburgschoolofbasketball.com.