The game of basketball and coaching have gone with the Murphy family — through three generations, for a half century-plus — like peanut butter goes with jelly; like peas in a pod; or ... perhaps most appropriately, since hoops are the topic of discussion, like March goes with Madness.

Dan Murphy started the Mustang Basketball Camp at Immaculate High School in Danbury back in 1981, and today his children and grandchildren continue to run camp sessions under the name Murphy Basketball Camp at NYA Sports & Fitness — holding three sessions each July.

While working as a teacher at The Sherman School, Dan coached children Matt and Mike on the basketball court at Immaculate where he had earlier led the program to its first state championship (1975-76 season). In the mid 1990s, when Dan became principal at The Sherman School, his sons took over the camp. They have been in town, at NYA, since it opened in 2008. Matt and Mike each have two children who went from being campers growing up, learning the X's and O's of the sport, to camp counselors throughout the years, just as they had.

"It's been a family tradition for a lot of years," Dan said. "They (Matt and Mike) like it and they followed in my footsteps, which I'm really proud of.

"How can you beat that? When you go to work you get to bring your kids where they can do something they like," Dan added.

For Matt's children, Shea and Mo, the camp has been a huge part of their lives from the start.

"All my summers are marked by Murphy camp. I get a month to spend with my family, working with my family," Shea said.

Their cousins, Mike's boys Liam and Braden, had been involved with the game for many years until this summer due to work obligations.

"Being able to do it with them and share a love of the game — it's awesome," Mike added during the first of three sessions offered at NYA Sports & Fitness this summer.

Mike coaches the Sacred Heart University women's club team along with Liam; Braden went on to become a practice player for the SHU Division I team.

Mo, a sophomore at University of Delaware, where she plays club lacrosse, said it is enjoyable to work alongside family members at the camp and to teach the game to young players. She gets a kick out of seeing them in games she works at as a referee and watching them play at the high school level years later.

"It's always been a cool experience to see them grow up," Mo said.

Shea joined the Central Connecticut State University women's lacrosse coaching staff two years ago, after playing college lacrosse. The game of lacrosse is an important part of the siblings' lives, but it is fair to say their athleticism and interest in coaching stem from their basketball roots. Both played at Newtown High School. Mo recalls being on the court, participating in the Murphy camp as a young child. "I was just always here," she said.

Matt likes having had the opportunity to coach his children along with their peers, and seeing them step into coaching roles all the while enjoying the game every bit as much as he has.

"It's been an important part of who we are and what we do," Matt said.

Basketball in the Murphy family began before Dan's coaching tenure — 16 years at Immaculate. He played for Immaculate High and then Western Connecticut State University in Danbury before going on to coach and teach. He and wife Cathy started the camp; nowadays both can be seen in the bleachers cheering on the Newtown High teams. Dan, in fact, is still involved with coaching; he is a volunteer assistant who helps out with Matt, head coach of the NHS varsity boys' team.

"Matt says my two cents are worth a nickel," Dan said with a laugh.

And why not, given his longtime career in basketball playing and coaching. Dan said what has helped make the camp continue to be popular throughout all of these years is the philosophy that counselors should treat campers how they would want to be treated, and how they were during days as campers. The camp emphasizes "FUNdamentals," something that goes back to the initial days, under the direction of Dan and his wife.

Interestingly, the Mustang camp continues to operate as well. The Murphy Camp, however, is a continuation of what Dan and Cathy started 45 years ago. Things have changed quite a bit thanks to both technological advancements and the way sports and coaching have evolved. Dan recalls lots of phone calls and mailings to get physical forms and registration sorted out. Nowadays it is mostly done online and with a few clicks of a button, campers are signed up.

The logistics are easier now, but from a coaching standpoint, with offseason training, it is a major time commitment that is worthwhile if people enjoy it, Dan said. He added that being a teacher and coach allows for establishing and building relationships with student athletes.

Camp participants, ranging in age from 8 to 14, receive small group instruction, play in daily games and competitions, and work on skill development and "FUNdamentals."

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.