New London's Eldrgidge schooling foes

Chelsea Eldridge went to school in the summer.

It wasn't for her junior season at New London High School.

The subjects weren't math, science or english.

It was point guard basketball camp at Denison University in Granville, Ohio -- east of Columbus.

Live, eat and breath basketball. For five days.

"My confidence has definitely rose,'' the 5-foot-1 point guard said. "I'm more comfortable in everything I do. The biggest thing is that I'm doing things I wouldn't have done before. It was worth the money."

Eldridge is averaging 11 points and six assists per game for the Ladycats.

She said the camp has been instrumental in attaining those numbers.

"We'd wake up at 7 a.m., take a class for two hours, stay in the gym and do different drills and practice what we learned,'' Eldridge said. "It definitely was a help. It helped my overall game.''

Eldridge didn't know any of the other attendees at the camp.

"I was out of my comfort zone,'' she said. "We had to learn to work with each other and became friends. I met other people with the same goal.''

She said second-year coach Greg Vogelsong urged her to attend the camp.

"He said it would really help me for the season,'' Eldridge said. "The biggest thing I learned was to how to talk to my teammates.''

A returner, but not a starter last season, Eldridge has one of the top assists numbers in the area.

"She understands the game and her role,'' Vogelsong said. "She does a nice job of distributing the ball. There are a lot of passes she sees that many kids don't.''

That includes going to the hoop.

"I like to drive it and dish it to the post,'' Eldridge said. "It's something I like to do.''

Vogelsong added, "She's not afraid to go against 6-0, 6-1 girls. She's multi-talented. She still has a lot to learn about controlling tempo and making choices to make the team more successful."

But Eldridge also likes shooting jumpers.

"I'm more of an outside shooter,'' she said. "I'd like to improve on that."

Eldridge, who just plays basketball at the high school level, is planning on attending the same camp this summer.

But she and her teammates have unfinished business as the regular season winds down.

New London won't win the Firelands Conference with a 5-13 overall, 2-11 league mark.

The tournament, however, is a second season for many schools and the Ladycats face a familiar foe in the first round -- Crestview in the second game Wednesday at the Division III Willard site.

"Since we're playing Crestview, we know what they're capable of,'' she said. "We have to put our minds to it and want to rise up. I kind of wish the season was going better with the team. Despite the injuries, we've had a good team."

The Lady Cougars swept the regular-season series against New London.

"One of the things I want to improve on is to keep our spirits up even when we're losing and my jump shot,'' Eldridge said. "I really liked the camp. I love basketball and want to get better. There's always something I can improve on.''