Special Correspondent In order to enhance their skills and acquire new ones, many young athletes attend summer sports camps such as the Larry Wright All Star Basketball Camp, which was held on the campus of Grambling State University. Males between the ages of 8 and 18 attended the camp.
Wright said that the primary goal of the camp is to provide young men with the finest basketball instructions in all phases of the game. “We try to instill into our campers pride, hard work and discipline – the components of the GSU Tigers winning tradition,” he said.
This was echoed by Oscar Evans, a center at Mansfield High. “To play stronger and more physical and to keep in my mind that every ball that comes off the rim is mine, is what I learned at this camp. Also, I learned how to stay low on the defense,” he said.
“Once I return to my team, I am going to share with them what I have learned, such as if I keep my hands up as I play defense, I could block more shots,” he said. “I enjoyed everything about this camp. The environment made it fun.”
Wichita, Kan. Native D’Andre Tomlin said that Coach Kenny Sykes helped him to improve his touch pass skills, and he learned to always box out. He plays the 4 on his team at Southeast High.
“What I enjoyed most about this camp is when we played on teams because we got to play with and against other campers,” said Tomlin.
Many campers have attended this camp for many summers. Roman Higgins is one such camper. This was his sixth time attending it. This tenth-grade small forward said, “I have learned how to be rebound better and position myself while shooting free throws,” he said.
Another young athlete, Prentis J. Martin, has attended the camp four times. He said, “Every year that I come to this camp, I feel that I get better once I return to my team.” Martin is a strong guard, strong forward and center at Saline High School. “Also, I learned information that I can share with my teammates: how to be a leader and a better defender and scorer,” Martin said.
“I have learned to play more physical, have better court awareness, dribble better and have more confidence. All of the coaches at the camp had a part in making me a better player,” he said.
Wright and his staff try to equip the campers will skills that will help them succeed on and off of the court. “Not only do we prepare our campers for basketball, we try to prepare them for life. We try to teach them how to be better people. We try to help them succeed in the game of life,” said Wright.
Eleven-year-old Casz Hampton, a point guard on his team at Ouachita Junior High said that there are many things that he learned at this camp. “I learned how to rebound and play defense. The thing that I learned that I can share with my teammates is the importance of having a good attitude,” he said.
“I enjoyed the camp, and I would like to play college basketball someday. That is why I enjoyed playing basketball at this camp. It gets you ready if you want to play when you get older,” Hampton said. He is a point guard on his team.