Bill Fennelly’s ISU teams have always been known for great outside shooting and a fun brand of basketball.

Fennelly, his coaching staff and many ISU players tried to pass on that philosophy this week in their yearly summer camp.

The camp, put on by the ISU coaching staff and players, was held at Lied Recreation Center Sunday through Wednesday.

“Our goal is to give them a positive experience and teach them as much as possible to help in their development, while getting a little glimpse into ISU women’s basketball,” assistant coach Jodi Steyer said.

The individual camp, which hosts more than 230 girls this year ranging from ages 10-18, uses three practice sessions a day to help tone up girls’ basketball skills.

ISU head coach Bill Fennelly just finished his eighth season at Iowa State, and this is his eighth year holding the girls basketball individual camp.

“We stress the fundamentals of the game, and we want the girls go have a good foundation within the sport while having fun doing it,” he said.

Along with the ISU coaching staff, the players on the Cyclone team play a key role in the development of the camp, serving as counselors in the dorms and coaches for the different age groups of campers.

“They are a huge reason why these kids are here and give a great effort because they know that they are role models for a lot of them,” Steyer said. “They share a lot about what it’s like to be here, and how they got started in basketball during our question and answer segment.”

The girls participating in this camp take part in many fundamental learning drills. They learn skills like ball control, defensive position, free throws and a weave drill in which five girls crisscross in and out, passing the ball down the floor and scoring a lay-up. Then two girls go back on defense on the other end of the court while the three remaining girls push the ball up the court for a three-on-two drill.

A normal session also has one-on-one competitions and a team scrimmage.

“I like the free throw competition the best because I am good at them,” said Alyssa Schwartz, a seventh-grader from Titonka, who is in her first year here at the Individual Camp.

“I chose to come to Iowa State’s camp because I like the Cyclones, and I grew up looking up to Lindsey Wilson,” she said.

The basketball program only has a limited amount of scholarships to give from year to year, but the camps can help the Cyclone coaching staff evaluate more people at once and find hidden talent, Fennelly said.

“At this point, we have only had one past camper earn a scholarship, [senior guard] Erica Junod, but as our camp has gotten bigger and better, I am sure that will change in the future,” he said. “We want them to leave with a great impression of Iowa State, and while most will not be Division I players, they are all possible students at Iowa State and future Cyclone fans.”

Schwartz said she thought those goals were being met.

“I like this camp because it has helped me shape my fundamentals and allowed me to meet new people,” she said.

Steyer said the experience is usually enjoyable for every person involved.

“That is what it’s all about, [that] they have fun while giving a great effort on the floor,” she said. “[They] try to absorb as much as possible from a great group of coaches and really concentrate on improving their own game.

“It’s amazing the improvement we can see in just a few days.”