It has been a busy summer.

Between team camps, weekend tournaments or just getting extra time on the basketball court, there hasn’t been much downtime for the Lady Pointers basketball team.

“As a program, we are very fortunate that our young ladies enjoy playing. The players along with support from the parents allow our kids to make improvements that will eventually benefit us,” said Van Buren head coach Chris Bryant.

The Lady Pointers attended six team camps this summer.

“We usually do not attend that many, but we felt it was important to give as many kids as possible a really good evaluation heading into the school year. One of the benefits of several of the camps was the opportunity for every level of our program to attend together. So we could watch, support and interact with our young players and coaches,” Bryant said.

The Lady Pointers have also been very active on the summer basketball circuit as 16 of the 18 players on the Lady Pointers roster participated on a travel team of some kind.

“If you are going to compete at our level you have to embrace travel basketball. Number one, kids enjoy every aspect of it,” said Bryant. “Two, the opportunity to compete against quality competition is invaluable. Three, this is where exposure is maximized for those wishing to play beyond high school.”

The exposure has benefited several Lady Pointers. Junior point guard and two-year starter Jamilyn Kinney received five early scholarship offers, including Wichita State, University Texas-Arlington, Arkansas State, UCA, and Arkansas Tech over the summer. Kinney was named an Addidas 3 Stripe All-American and All-Arkansas Prep 16-17.

Seniors Lani Snowden, Taylar Sutton, and Bailey Jones have all received interest from several NCAA DII, NAIA, and JUCO schools this summer.

As the days of summer draw to a close, the Lady Pointers welcome a small reprieve before classes resume on Aug. 15.

“It has been a productive summer, our kids are looking forward to a small break to enjoy just going to class and watching some fall sports,” said Bryant.