PURPOSE
|
Mr. String Music himself, Joe Dean (a.k.a. The General), believed that basketball was a vehicle to learning many important lessons that would sustain our campers in any walk of life. He constantly encouraged the boys to work hard, be disciplined and enthusiastic, and they could be successful in any field they chose.
The String Music Basketball Camp focuses on teaching the fundamentals of basketball, but also puts campers in a competitive environment to help them learn how to develop toughness and confidence as a young athlete. The key to Dixie's success is the unique spirit, discipline, and enthusiasm that is unmatched at any other camp in the country. |
|
HISTORY
The Lakeside Oaks Basketball Camp was started by LSU player Brad Brian on a beautiful lakeside setting on Perkins Road outside Baton Rouge, owned by Brad's parents. The camp initially attracted about 20 boys, but prior to the summer of 1966 Brad asked Joe Dean to join him in partnership in the Lakeside Oaks Basketball Camp. The camp partners built a new bunkhouse, that accommodated 50 boys, and added a second outdoor basketball court. Four one-week sessions were offered that first summer, and the camp began to take shape.
In 1972, LSU hired Dale Brown as its new head basketball coach, and he quickly decided to start camps at LSU. Dean told his partner, Brian, they would have to move out of Baton Rouge, and start a new identity to compete in the camp market. A coaching friend, Horace Holmes, who was the basketball coach -- and would later become the President -- of Southwest Mississippi Community College, asked Mr. Dean to explore moving the camp to his campus. An agreement was forged and the newly named Dixie Basketball Camp relocated to Summit, Miss., in the summer of 1974.
Like everything else in our world, 2020 changed our camp for the future. For the first time in 47 summers, campers from all over the southeast did not descend upon the SMCC campus for two weeks of basketball, spirit and enthusiasm. A summer of social unrest also led the camp to forge ahead with a new name, but one that connects it intimately to its founder.
As such, the String Music Basketball Camp returned in 2021 to the the beautiful rural setting it has used since 1974, providing campers with a place to enjoy the game of basketball, develop lasting friendships, and learn many life lessons.
In 1972, LSU hired Dale Brown as its new head basketball coach, and he quickly decided to start camps at LSU. Dean told his partner, Brian, they would have to move out of Baton Rouge, and start a new identity to compete in the camp market. A coaching friend, Horace Holmes, who was the basketball coach -- and would later become the President -- of Southwest Mississippi Community College, asked Mr. Dean to explore moving the camp to his campus. An agreement was forged and the newly named Dixie Basketball Camp relocated to Summit, Miss., in the summer of 1974.
Like everything else in our world, 2020 changed our camp for the future. For the first time in 47 summers, campers from all over the southeast did not descend upon the SMCC campus for two weeks of basketball, spirit and enthusiasm. A summer of social unrest also led the camp to forge ahead with a new name, but one that connects it intimately to its founder.
As such, the String Music Basketball Camp returned in 2021 to the the beautiful rural setting it has used since 1974, providing campers with a place to enjoy the game of basketball, develop lasting friendships, and learn many life lessons.
In the media
New Orleans Times-Picayune, August 2015 - Dixie Basketball Camp Still About Life's Lessons
New Orleans Times-Picayune, July 2015 - For 50 years, the Deans have been the heart of Dixie Basketball Camp
New Orleans Times-Picayune, July 2015 - For 50 years, the Deans have been the heart of Dixie Basketball Camp