Former Warren girls basketball star Emma Ruhlman is back from Hillsdale College and is hosting a basketball camp for the first time as a college athlete. Submitted Photo

This isn’t the first time Emma Ruhlman has hosted a basketball camp in Warren County. It’s just the first time she’s hosted a basketball camp as a college basketball player.

The Warren Lady Dragons basketball camp, led by Ruhlman, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, July 17, to Thursday, July 20, at Warren Area High School. The camp ($95 per participant) is for boys and girls entering grades 1-6.

A Google sign-up form is at https://forms.gle/27vZdx16K4M7T7ky5

Ruhlman is home after her freshman season at Division II Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich.

“I’ve helped run kids camps for my mom (current Lady Dragons’ head coach Lisa LaVan) at WAHS, at the YMCA, and back at Hillsdale,” said Ruhlman. “I also do individual lessons with kids throughout the summer. This will be the first camp that I am full running, which is super exciting but I think I have the experience to back it up.”

Ruhlman was named to three Pennsylvania Sports Writers Class 5A all-state girls high school basketball teams. She made the all-state third team as a sophomore and junior and the second team as a senior after being named the Region 6 (District 10) Player of the Year. She helped lead the Lady Dragons to three District 10 5A championships in four years.

Warren averaged 20 wins a season in Ruhlman’s four years, and Emma finished her high school career second all-time in scoring at WAHS with 1,448 points along with nearly 900 rebounds.

“I feel like I can teach them so much more as a college player,” said Ruhlman. “When I graduated high school, I thought I knew all there was to know about basketball, but that was so far from true. My coaches and teammates at Hillsdale taught me so much this past year and I know they will continue to do so throughout my career. I’ve learned that you can never stop growing in this game and there is always more to learn and more to get better at, so I’m super excited to pass some of my knowledge down.

“I first started doing workouts for kids via Zoom during the lockdown in 2020 and I realized that I really enjoyed teaching the game I love to younger players,” said the 2022 WAHS graduate. “Growing up with my mom as my coach I’ve been exposed to the aspect of coaching from a young age and she really inspired me to get into it. I love playing basketball and having it as such a big part of my life, so being able to share what I know to other people is super cool. I remember being a little kid and going to all sorts of camps and whenever it was a college or high school kid coaching me, I would get so excited… I thought they were the coolest people ever and I knew that I wanted to be one of them someday, playing at that next level. I’m super excited for this camp and I hope I can teach these kids a few things, have a lot of fun, and inspire and encourage them to pour themselves into this sport that I love so much.”