Team bonding and winning records helped make a pair of team camps enjoyable for the Baldwin High School basketball teams over the weekend.

Members of the BHS boys’ team traveled to Lawrence, while several BHS girls headed to Maryville, Mo. Both groups of Bulldogs competed in team camps and came away successful.

On Thursday and Friday, the BHS girls played a total of eight games. They went 5-3 during that stretch as they competed against teams from Iowa, Missouri and the Kansas City area.

“We saw a lot of different teams and styles, which was a good experience,” BHS girls’ coach Bob Martin said. “It was also a good team bonding experience. Wins and losses weren’t that important, but it was nice they always play to win. They competed well and played well together.”

The BHS boys nearly doubled the girls’ success in Lawrence. During their seven games, the varsity went 4-3 and the junior varsity team finished 5-2. They competed against teams from South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas.

“The camp went really well,” BHS boys’ coach Eric Toot said. “We got a lot out of it. We got a lot of basketball games in. Overall, I thought we played well and got a lot out of the camp.”

BHS freshman Justin Vander Tuig was happy to have a winning record at the camp, but wasn’t satisfied.

“I enjoyed the camp,” Vander Tuig said. “It was a fun experience to go somewhere for a camp besides our town and get a chance to play with the team. I thought that 4-3 was a pretty good record, although I believe that we could have done better and possibly won a couple of other games with a few different plays here and there if a few more shots fell our way.”

While both coaches know the camp helped the team bond together and gave a chance for the players to compete with each other, they understand the season is still several months away. They just hope this experience will benefit them in the winter.

“We’re still forming a team right now,” Martin said. “We’re still a long way from that. This is the first building block of that. It was a fun experience for them. We will have competed in three camps after this weekend.”

Several BHS girls will again be competing in another camp this weekend, while Vander Tuig and his teammates reflect on their experience in Lawrence.

During their camp, they listened to University of Kansas coach Bill Self speak for awhile. They also had the privilege of taking pictures with the 2008 NCAA national championship trophy and playing in historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

“I enjoyed listening to coach Self at the beginning of camp,” Vander Tuig said. “It wasn't a long talk, but it was cool to hear the national championship coach talking to all us campers.

“I believe that it would always be an honor to play in Allen Fieldhouse,” he said. “However, I definitely feel that it was that much more of an amazing feeling to be playing on the same floor that this year’s national championship team practiced on so much and played many great games on.”