A Camp With Purpose
Former Butte Central star Dougie Peoples returned to his hometown this week to run the fourth edition of his Dougie’s Dribblers Camp, a week‑long clinic that blends basketball fundamentals with lessons on character and community.
Around 70 youngsters from Butte and neighboring towns such as Deer Lodge, Anaconda and Philipsburg gathered at a local gym, eager to learn from Peoples and a roster of Montana basketball standouts including Rey Johnston and Brooke Badovinac.
The camp’s curriculum goes beyond dribbling drills; it features talks on health and safety, with Leo McCarthy, founder of the nonprofit Mariah’s Challenge, addressing the perils of underage drinking and drunk driving.
A Personal Mission
McCarthy’s message was personal: his daughter Mariah McCarthy was killed at 14 by an underage drunk driver, a tragedy that inspired the foundation’s mission to spare other families the same loss.
Wristbands bearing the campaign’s slogan were handed out to campers, serving as a tangible reminder of the cause while they practiced layups and defensive slides.
Looking Ahead
Beyond the court, the event fosters camaraderie among kids from diverse locales, creating a network that extends to the upcoming non‑conference matchups in Dillon against Montana Tech and Montana Western scheduled for Oct. 30‑31.
After the camp wraps up on Thursday, Peoples will head back to Idaho for his senior season, carrying the experiences and mentorship he’s cultivated back to the collegiate arena.