Playmaker College

We get this question often and it's not about being 'good enough.'

If your child is a dedicated player who loves the game and wants to improve, they'll fit right in. If they're not interested in learning the game, PGC is probably not for them, regardless of how good they are.

Players are placed in skill-based groups, so if your child is a less experienced player, they'll be with others who are similar — and if they're one of the top players, they'll be with other top players.

Over 145,000 players and 10,000 coaches have attended a PGC camp over the past 31 years and the feedback is consistent.

Players who are eager to learn and get better have a really special experience. A player who thinks they know it all already and isn't interested in getting better doesn't typically enjoy their time with us.

As long as your child has a passion for the game and wants to improve, they're going to love their time at PGC.

As we stand behind the experience we provide, and to remove any risk for you, we are the only camp in the camp industry to offer a 100% Money-Back Guarantee.

If your child attends an entire PGC session and you aren’t completely satisfied with their basketball experience, simply contact us within this calendar year and not only will we refund your entire camp tuition, we will also send you an additional $500 cash to help cover any of your other basketball events or travel related expenses this year, to help further your child’s development.

While the level of competition may vary slightly from session to session, there is nearly always suitable competition for the varying levels of the players. As long as your child understands that the main intention of the week is development and learning (not competition)... it won't matter much who they're competing against throughout the week.

Sure, they can bring a teammate with them. The more teammates who attend PGC with them, the more games they’re likely to win next season.

However, don’t wait to register until they convince some teammates to join them, or you may end up losing your spot in the process.

If your child only likes to attend camps with people they know, think of this as an ideal opportunity to stretch them out of their comfort zone. Even if their teammates choose not to enroll, they’re going to meet some incredible people—many who they’ll be friends with long after their PGC session.

“Before I came to PGC, I was thinking, “I’m not going to know anyone there!”. But, as it turns out, I was welcomed into an extraordinary environment of athletes, instructors, and directors who made me feel like I was at home.”
— Misha Jones, Manassas Park, Virginia

“What I love most about PGC is the attitude and approach of everyone around me. I have never been surrounded by such great, driven, and positive people. It just shows what kind of athletes PGC attracts.”
— Jacquie Chataway, Mississauga, Ontario

You can wait until you know your child’s complete summer schedule before you register. The only problem is, the session you want to register for may be sold out by then as most of our camps do sell out each year.

To make it risk-free for you, we offer Tuition Protection which gives you a full refund if you cancel more than 5 days before your camp and a 100% PGC credit if you cancel within 5 days. In addition, as long as it's at least two weeks prior to your session, you can transfer to another camp without any additional cost.

Things sometimes come up that are unavoidable—we get it. That's why we offer Tuition Protection, so you can have peace-of-mind.

Cancellation Policy: If your child can't attend the camp for any reason, including schedule conflicts, last-minute injuries, a concussion, an unexpected illness, or a family emergency, you will receive a 100% credit for camp fees paid that can be applied to a future camp, transferred to a friend, or donated to an underprivileged player. Without tuition protection, camp fees are non-refundable.

In the unlikely event that PGC has to cancel the camp, 100% of your tuition fees paid will be credited towards a future PGC camp.

With Tuition Protection: The purchase of tuition protection during registration will give you a full refund if you cancel more than 5 days before your camp and a 100% PGC credit if you cancel within 5 days of camp. ($75)

Once a session sells out, if spots come available, we contact all the players on the wait list at the same time. The spots are then filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

There are no talent shows, swim breaks, or celebrity autograph signings, and we don’t roll out the balls and “just play”. You can find these things at many basketball camps, but not at PGC.

We believe when you invest in your game, you should actually get better and improve. So, our commitment is to NEVER waste a player's time or attention.

When possible, our recommended order for our 5-day, 4-night camps is:

i) Playmaker College - Incoming 7th-11th grade players
ii) Scoring College - Incoming 9th-12th grade & college
iii) Point Guard College - Incoming 9th-12th grade & college

If this order isn't ideal for you based on the location of our sessions or your availability, you're welcome to attend our camps in any alternative order.

There is no recommended order for attending our Skills Academy day camps or our 2-day Shooting College camp.

The average PGC camp attracts players from 11 different states, as well as a handful of international players. Hundreds of players fly, endure long bus rides, or beg a parent or coach to drive them 10-12 hours to get to PGC. We are constantly amazed at how far some players will travel to attend a session.

Right now, players in North Dakota, Alaska, Lithuania, and New Zealand are coming up with creative ways to get themselves to PGC.

So, don’t let distance be a deal-breaker for you. Where there’s a will, there's usually a way.

“When we left PGC, we had a 10-hour trip ahead of us, so I thought that Daymon would sleep most of the way home. Although physically exhausted, he was so energized and excited that we talked for over nine hours about his experience at PGC. He said, ‘Dad, this was one of the greatest weeks of my life.’ Last night, I watched him play in open gym and he is already incorporating what he learned into his game. Thanks for the positive impact that you made on our son.”
— Joe Osborn, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

What exactly are they doing that’s keeping them so busy? Are their activities aligned with their dreams and aspirations, or are they just following the crowd and hoping for the best? Great players don’t base their games—or their lives—on hope. And, they certainly don’t follow the masses. First, they decide what they want; then they go out and find the people and learning opportunities that will get them there.

What good is it to be seen by hundreds of college coaches at AAU events if they’re not doing anything special to stand out from the crowd? A good college coach can pick out the best players on the court within the first five minutes of a game. Sometimes, they can even spot the best players during warm-ups, just by noticing how they carry themselves and interact with others.

Smart players spend more time “getting better” than “getting seen.”

How determined are you or your child to attend a PGC camp?

If you are truly determined, there are ways to make it happen, even if you are financially challenged. Lots of parents and players have done it. We hear their stories all the time.

If you can’t help your child pay for the camp, don’t let that stop them. Right now, a player in Texas is figuring out how many lawns he has to mow to get to a session, while a player in Chicago is calculating how many driveways she has to shovel to get to a camp. For decades now, players have been resourceful in finding ways to raise the money they need to attend. What about you?

Here are a few quick ideas to assist your child, as they can:

• See if their school’s basketball program or athletic department will support them.
• Ask family members to put holiday and/or birthday gift money towards the tuition fee.
• Ask a coach or a teacher for help in seeking financial assistance from a community organization. Many local small businesses raise money to support young people who need assistance—especially if the opportunity is focused on leadership and character development.

As a competitive athlete, your child will always face obstacles in their life, and some may seem impossible to overcome. But whatever the current circumstances, there is someone out there who has faced the exact same circumstances and found a way to realize their goals.

Once they've done these things, if they still need assistance, let us know and we'll do our part to support you. We help many players each year, especially when they've shown us their level of commitment to attending PGC. Get further details here.

Note: We also provide a financial discount for clergy and military families. Contact us for details.

Spots occasionally become available within a month or two of the start date of a sold-out session. Your chances depend on how many cancellations there are for a given session and how many other athletes are on the waiting list at the time spots become available.