By James L. Stroud, Jr.
Contributing Writer
The Clyde Turner Basketball Camps came to North Minneapolis’ Farview Park Community Center and offered a free five-day Kwanzaa basketball camp from December 26 to December 30 for boys and girls ages 8-15. Clyde Turner says, “Call it the spirit or say it was inspired by Jesus Christ, but we wanted to give the kids something to do while they where out of school during the holidays and give the parents a break by offering it for free.”
Turner further says that he picked North Minneapolis because of the recent reports of violence caused by and directed toward that community’s youth. “It was an opportunity to not only give back, but also to give the youth something fun, safe, positive and educational to do with their time.”
For the last 27 years, the Clyde Turner Educational Basketball Camps (CTEBC) have offered boys and girls between the ages of nine through 17 a fun and challenging experience of learning the fundamentals of basketball. CTEBC’s mission is to provide a program that meets the personal developmental needs of young people in the Metropolitan area.
The camps are usually held during the summer, and parents expect to pay an entry fee. According to Turner, this holiday treat for the 85 children and their parents who participated was put together at the last minute. Turner says that many thanks are due to the staff of Farview Park and the volunteer coaches for making it all possible.
Over their 27-year span, Turner’s camps have produced some of America’s most talented college and professional players. Players like Devean George (Augsburg College, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks), Troy Bell (Boston College and Milwaukee Bucks), and Khalid El-Amin (University of Connecticut and Chicago Bulls) are just a few of the success stories from among the over 10,000 campers.
For more information about the Clyde Turner Educational Basketball Camps, contact them at 3717 Blaisdell Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55409, or call 612-822-7899. Visit their website at www.clydeturnerbasketball.com.
James L. Stroud, Jr. welcomes reader responses to jlstroud@spokesman-recorder.com.
