Registration will open February 2025!
Arrival: Sunday between 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Camper are not provided with supper on Sunday evening.
Departure: Friday at 2:45 p.m.
Parents are welcome to come anytime after 2:00 p.m. on Friday to observe camp closing.
“It was my fourth year coming to the Watsa Basketball Camp and I still love it. It is the most fun I have all summer and I look forward to it all year long. When I get here, I never want to leave”. – Andrew
“Well, where do I start! I had an amazing experience here. I’m definitely coming back next year. I’m really glad I had the opportunity to come. The coaches and the counsellors and the players are ALL amazing. And, the inspirational speeches were AMAZING! I loved everything”! – Carley
“I really enjoyed the whole camp, right from breakfast in the morning to the campfire at night. The coaches (and director!) were very inspirational and they provided me with a very memorable week and camp experience. I loved it”! – Taryn
Over thirty years ago, Mano Watsa took on the challenge of creating a summer job for himself. It was 1991 and at the age of 15 he decided to start his very own youth basketball camp in his parents’ backyard. With 8 campers in attendance the first week, playing on one basketball hoop, the Watsa Basketball Camp had officially begun. Through the support of his basketball coaches and the local community, the camps blossomed. By the time Mano graduated high school, nearly 200 local youth were attending four weeks of basketball training offered each summer in his backyard. In 2001, More Than Hoops began overnight camps for players across Ontario.
The new ‘Watsa Basketball Camps at Hidden Acres’ soared from 22 campers the first year to 150 players by the third year. The camp is now in its 23rd year and over 5000 players from across Canada have been through the camps.
Join us this summer and you can expect to experience the following:
Improve Your Game – Each morning you’ll hone your skills through our unique skill development stations. You’ll learn to read your defender, pass creatively, handle the ball against pressure, attack the basket with the right finishing move, and get your shot off against quicker players.
Play Hard – Each afternoon you’ll have the chance to put these new skills into practice in your league games. During breaks from the court, you can relax and enjoy swimming, canoeing, beach volleyball and the climbing wall. Each evening we’re back on the court for competitions, coaches games, and nightly all-star games.
Find Passion For Life – To start and finish each day, through inspiring messages from Mano, you’ll be challenged to fulfill your purpose in life. You’ll be inspired to live your life passionately with strong character and by a standard of excellence (through faith-based principles).
Hidden Acres is interested in the development of the whole person and is committed to providing a fun, healthy, stimulating and safe experience for all campers.