The sound of almost two dozen basketballs being dribbled at once is something like quiet thunder. That’s what was going on in Suffield Academy’s parking lot off Mountain Road near the end of July, when Basketball World’s summer day camp was in session. Four sturdy portable hoops were set up on the lot, and Coach Scott Wissel was training a batch of enthusiastic boys of various sizes – generally 8 to 12 years old. Other campers were elsewhere on campus, being trained by Coach Paul Wissel, Scott’s brother, and several athlete counselors. Scott and Paul are the co-directors of the camp.
The Basketball World training system was created over forty years ago by Hal Wissel, the brothers’ father, who established the practice of having at least one ball per student at each session. That shortens the shooting queues and speeds up the action. The business has grown to include year-round “Shoot It Better” mini-camps in world-wide locations, but the headquarters is still here on Russell Avenue, not far from the family’s End of Hunt equestrian center on Hill Street.