[Basketball News]

Ray Patterson, Ron Blomberg, Jerry Sullivan, Tom Hawley and Jack Nagle are recognized as the founding fathers of the Milwaukee Bucks Basketball Camps, which would enjoy a successful 32-year run throughout the Midwest and the Great Plains.

But the camps would not have found the cutting edge if the founding fathers had not planted a forest of coaching family trees.

Before the Milwaukee Bucks were even born, the camp directors recruited a long line of top college and high school coaches to offer their campers fundamental instruction that was second-to-none.

Once the Bucks became established and their coaches and players became involved in the camps, their popularity soared. But the camp directors realize that the college and prep coaches who got on board during the camps’ formative years and stayed there made the whole concept work as well as it did.

“Ray Patterson, who became the first president of the Milwaukee Bucks, wanted Ron Blomberg to set up a boarding and day camp program in the Midwest at small colleges for youngsters ages 9 to 18,” Sullivan said. “Ray wanted a program that had youngsters that age coached by junior high coaches and high school coaches, along with headliners from major college programs like John Wooden from UCLA, Adolph Rupp from Kentucky, George King from Purdue and Lou Henson from New Mexico State.

Keeping The Campfires Burning ... Part II