12 SportsUnion | AUGUST 17, 2018
summer
Camp
Getting a chance to represent your country is always a
great experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s at a practice, a game
or even camp. There is something special about putting on
that jersey and seeing your country blazed across the front.
By Matt Ondesko Managing Editor
Playing for your country
represents so much more
than playing your school
or club team. When that
jersey is put on, and TEAM
USA is blazed across the
front and back, you just ar-
en’t playing for the people
at Eden High School.
You are representing all
50 states. You are repre-
senting so much more.
For rising junior Jake Ba-
sinski of Eden High School
he got to live out a dream
that so many wish they
could do. For the third year
in a row, Basinski took part
in the Team USA volleyball
camp. This year’s camp was
held in Texas.
While he has been select-
ed to attend the last cou-
ple of years, this year was
different. Basinski was
able to put on the colors of
Team USA. Seeing the Red,
White and Blue gave Ba-
sinski a sense of pride.
“Each time I make it’s like
a newer experience,” stat-
ed Basinski. “This year my
coach was a US Olympian
and he coaches USC. Every
year I have great coaches
and great teammates from
all around the county.”
It has also helped his
game. Basinski was play-
ing, and training, with
some of the best volley-
ball players throughout
the country. It’s one thing
to play for your club team
and Eden High School, it’s
another to put yourself up
against some of the best
players in the country.
It gave Basinski a chance
to see how good he real-
ly was, and to see what he
needed to work on. Besides
competing with some of
the best on the court, Ba-
sinski also got tremendous
training off it.
It’s not often you are
coached by a former Olym-
pian. That’s exactly what
happen during camp. Ba-
sinski, and the rest of the
players, were coached up
by University of Southern
California (USC) coach Jeff
Nygaard.
Nygaard put the players
through their paces. It was
a great way for Basinski to
learn what he needed to
work on as the camp pro-
gressed.
“I learned how to be a
good competitor, because
this year we played a lot of
18 and 19 year olds,” stated
Basinski. “Throughout the
time there he was telling
us just do things each day
to make us a better team-
mate and a better athlete
overall.”
To know Basinski it to
know he is a student of
the game. He comes from
a volleyball family with
his brother and sister both
playing for club and Eden
High School. His sister has
been part of a magical run
at Eden that saw them win
three state titles in a row,
Representing
his country