“Randolph Macon is one of my favorite basketball camps to attend in the summer and the winter. I enjoy Coach Merkel and the Randolph Macon Basketball players. It is pretty cool that the players are our coaches. I always learn something new at the camp. I enjoy all of the classes, drills, contests and the competition. I also enjoy attending some of their Basketball games during their season. Coach Merkel received ODAC Coach of the Year and Buzz Anthony received the ODAC Player of the year. Pretty awesome to know them, play with them and to be coached by them.”
Beau Sahnow, RMC Camper
“Shooting camp has given me drills to improve on my shooting. I improved even in the two days I was there and can't wait to see what these drills do for me in the long run.”
Micah Lindsay, Shooting Camper
“My son’s favorite basketball camp of the summer! Super organized and well-run, heavy on skill development and play time, and most of all...fun!”
Snow Family, Parents of July Camper
“My two boys couldn’t say enough great things about their coaches. They are encouraging, enthusiastic and wonderful role models. Coach Hannah is awesome! She coached both Jack and Webb the past two years.”
Allison Gehman, Parent of June Camper
“Coach Merkel, I’m reaching out to you thanking you in a manner I don’t usually do. Especially for email is my last means of communication with someone. However it seemed most appropriate in thanking you for an incredible week. I’ve attended many camps before including William and Mary’s. One would think a division 1 basketball camp would be ever so comprehensive. I found out very fast that it’s Randolph Macon’s camp that I find myself learning the most and being engaged with the game and my coaches. The whole program has shaped me not into a better player but also a better version of myself in terms of attitude and behavior. As I said my coach happened to be the most mature coach of them all which happened to rub off on me a bit. Nonetheless I couldn’t thank one person enough for the opportunity I have been given which is your camp. My thanks extend to my coaches in both skills and shooting camp. And you if course for being attentive to the sort of people and players we campers were. Helping us better ourselves on more levels than one. I hope to make it to many games this year and to support the program and that blessed me with more than enough to be the best player I can be. Thank you coach.”
Trey Stuart, Shooting & Skills Camper
More Testimonials
►My son had a great time. Great camp on a great campus, with great coaches.
►My son loves this camp and always learns a lot to improve his gameMy son thoroughly enjoyed the camp and will return again.
►Great camp. Very organized, well communicated and lots of fun for my kid!
►This was my son's first experience at a camp like this and he was very apprehensive coming in. He ended up having a great time and is looking forward to next year. Thanks for your team's hard work.
►My twins loved it! They want to come back next year and so does their little brother.
►This camp was amazing. My child's skills improved over the camp and he is so excited.
►Loved it. Very impressed and what a great experience.
►Great team! Organized! My son learned a great deal and made lots of friends!
►My son had a great experience and like the fact the teams were split up nicely and everyone got a chance to play!
►I think overall it was a very effective and well thought out camp. Learned many things that will help me go on in the future.
►My son had an awesome time he had fun and learned plenty. Thank you RMC
►Both of our boys continued to develop team cooperation skills and fostered a love for sport and competition. i like that you focus on building good humans and athletes.
►Our kids gave it a 10/10! Coach Merkel and the entire staff are super friendly and nice and help the kids get better at basketball. It is such a treat to have a Super High End experience for our children right here in the RVA area!
►My son had a blast! We will be back next summer.
►I just wanted to thank you, your players, and staff for providing such a wonderful opportunity for my son, Jack McCaleb! He has had a great week! He is begging to be able to stay over night next summer too. I feel like he has had a great experience and improved his skills. The camp was well run and extremely organized. Thank you for also teaching about sportsmanship, hard work and growth mindset. Jack will look forward attending next summer! - Jaclyn McCaleb- Principal
Camper William Wallis: College Application Essay – Fall 2025
Ever since I was 13 years old, I have been attending a basketball camp at Randolph Macon College during the summer. This past summer, as a rising Senior, I attended the camp with my best friend, Grant Butler; our third year at camp. Upon entering the gym on the first day, it felt different. We were some of the oldest kids there, the gym seemed smaller, and it was our last year. We couldn’t believe it. The week flew by, and it was Thursday before we knew it. After lunch, the camp had their speaker of the day come in. Grant and I took our seats right next to each other in one of the classrooms at RMC. Head Coach Josh Merkel introduced Tyson Lee, who was our speaker for the day.
Coach Lee was a D1 level starting quarterback at Mississippi State. After a very successful career at Mississippi, he became an NFL scout for the St. Louis Rams. He departed after realizing his career was interfering with his family priorities, and he classified this as the "slow drift". He described this phenomenon as things that take you away from what you love most. He asked the room to raise their hands if you had any form of social on your phone. Obviously, as a group of teenage boys, there wasn’t a hand down in sight. In essence he claimed that little distractions can go a long way, how doing your homework with distractions can turn into an hour-long scroll session. Next up was the topic of accountability.
He said being accountable on your own is nearly impossible because the first person you’d lie to is yourself. For example, if you tell yourself that you will go to the gym 4 times a week, you most likely will not. Having a friend with a shared mindset and goals can create a spark of motivation and that’s exactly what happened with me and Grant. After the speech, we were determined to figure out how we were going to better ourselves and reduce distractions. Some steps we took: working out 4 times a week before school, deleting all social media, setting specific bedtimes for ourselves, eating right for every meal, and working on our crafts in each other’s sports. For me it's tennis and for Grant it’s basketball.
To this day, Grant and I are determined to maximize our potential through shared workouts, diet, and focus.. Tyson Lee has ignited a flame of motivation that will not be extinguished to better ourselves every single day. This is a step we decided to take together and a journey we have only just begun. All in all, this epiphany has resulted in excellent mental health and increased strength and friendship and I'm proud to extend my discipline and passion at your university