Former NBA player teaches local kids fundamentals of the
game
GILROY – Senior guard Ron Colmon did not who Bud Ogden was when he was hired as the new boys basketball coach at Gilroy High School. But he soon found out about the former Philadelphia 76er and Santa Clara University standout, and instantly gained respect for him.
“He knows what he wants to do. He’s already been at the level we all want to be at,” said Colmon, who was one of 15 youngsters that soaked in tons of advice from Ogden during the City of Gilroy’s ‘Substance Over Style’ basketball clinic. “It was a nice, new learning experience for me… He’s teaching me a lot of new stuff and the fundamentals of the game.”
Colmon – who was a reserve guard as a junior last season on varsity – had an ulterior motive for participating in the two-day camp at the brand new Solorsano Gymnasium in Gilroy as well. Colmon wanted to see what type of coach he was going to play for and he wanted to show Ogden what he could do on the court.
“It was for me a chance to come out and see what he’s all about, how he runs things because he’s my coach next year. And I wanted him to see how I can play,” said Colmon, who will compete for the Mustangs’ starting point guard job this winter. “I have extremely high hopes for next season.”
Ogden was recently hired by Athletic Director Jack Daley to take over the Gilroy hoops program after the departure of former coach Michael Baumgartner – who resigned from his position to pursue his master’s at San Jose State University. Along with coaching duties, Ogden also took over the city rec clinic that was started by his predecessor four years ago.
“I think Bud’s going to bring an enormous amount of experience and knowledge (to local youngster),” said Coach Jay Baksa, who assisted with the camp as well as being an assistant on the varsity club. “It’s a real advantage for the younger people of this community to learn skills from him.”
Ogden – who stands six-foot-six – was an All-American at Lincoln High School in San Jose in 1964 and then at Santa Clara University in 1969. The eighth-generation Californian led the Broncos to a No. 2 ranking in the nation and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the Feb. 10, 1969 edition.
But after a brief NBA career, Ogden became a coach and now comes to Gilroy after more than 11 years in the highly-respected Valley Christian basketball program.
“I think the type of kids who live here in town are just a little bit more hungry,” Ogden said. “They are scrappy and that will go a long way. I’d much rather have scrappy kids who want to play and want to learn.”
A bunch of local youngsters were treated to some tutelage from both Ogden and Baksa for nearly 18 hours. They also got a chance to play inside the newly-built gymnasium in Gilroy.
“I’ve always loved kids,” Ogden said. “We worked on all the fundamentals. We worked on defense and catching screens, and off-side help, and the whole ball of wax. They had wonderful attitudes and they’re great kids.”
Ogden hopes the Substance Over Style camp can continue every summer – bringing in more and more young participants who are willing to learn and work hard for their goals.
“I would expect to build this camp and have it as a real mainstay of the program over the years,” Ogden said. “I’ve had my own camps and they’ve been pretty successful and all fundamentals and all trying to have fun while still teaching.”
Robbie Freedman, 16, of Gilroy, worked on his post moves at the camp – also looking to make a roster spot on the basketball team in his first year at Gilroy High School.
“(The camp has) helped me work on my post moves a lot. It also helped get my shot straight,” Freedman said. “(Ogden) seems like a really good coach. I hope to play for him soon.”
Alex Bassi, 12, of Gilroy, is heading into seventh grade at Palma High School in Salinas. He hopes his extra work at the Substance Over Style camp will help him during tryouts for the school squad.
“I’ve worked with Coach Baksa. He’s a pretty good coach. We worked on shooting and passing and the fundamentals,” Bassi said. “It helped my game out.”
Ogden also wants to use the camp to scope out new, up-and-coming talent within the community before they reach the varsity level. Ogden’s liked what he has seen so far from his first-year campers and from his high school ballers during their summer league.
“I saw them play a couple of times this summer. They were in a tournament in North Monterey County,” Ogden said. “They were like a buzzsaw. They kept coming at you, coming at you, and they had a couple of kids who can shoot it.”
