Dozens Attend District Attorney Michael Morrissey’s
Winter Basketball Camp
There were more than 40 Stoughton second through eighth graders involved in Norfolk County D.A. Michael Morrissey’s winter basketball camp at the O’Donnell Middle School in Stoughton this week– and no idle hands to be seen.
“This is a good opportunity to give kids a constructive, positive focus to their February vacation – and learn both sports skills and life skills in the process,” District Attorney Morrissey said. “The point guard for the Stonehill College team, Sam Markle, is doing an internship in our office this winter, and almost every one of Stoughton’s varsity players volunteered to help, teach and be role models.”
Stoughton High Head Basketball Coach John Gallivan said that ten of his players and five of his coaches joined him on Wednesday, the second day of the three-day camp. Four members of the Stoughton High girls’ varsity team came by for the last hour of that day. “This was very much collaboration between Stoughton and the District Attorney’s Office,” Morrissey said.
On Thursday, Norfolk County Sheriff Michael Bellotti sent Lt. Jack Kilrane with a department search K-9 to talk to the group about good decisions. On Monday, State Police Trooper John Fanning, a Stoughton native, came to talk and work with the campers. Veteran area coach Carl Boen agreed to run the clinics as he has at the DA’s summer basketball camps, and Stoughton's Recreation Director John Dennison handled the registration process and attended
“John Dennison reached out to one of my employees who is active in Stoughton sports, Paul Wilder, when another program fell through for this week. John asked us to help provide Stoughton kids with a safe, positive experience this week,” Morrissey said. “That is the kind of request we like to say yes to.”
The very modest cost of running the program was defrayed by participant contributions, donated services and the use of drug forfeiture money rather than tax dollars.
