Basketball clinic helps build skills and character
'The day you stop trying to achieve ... is the day you stop growing as an individual'
Kids enrolled in the Boys & Girls Club summer camp were treated to a special basketball clinic run by two minor league members of the National Basketball Association Friday.
Former Rutgers player J.R. Inman [above, at left] and former University of Pittsburgh player Tyrell Briggs [third from left] taught basic basketball skills and relayed the importance of teamwork, listening skills, perseverance, discipline, sportsmanship, respect and literacy.
About 100 kids attended the camp, which ran from noon to 3 p.m.
After teaching some basic skills and conducting a free throw contest, Inman and Briggs sat the kids down to talk about the hard work it takes to achieve success.
“The window of opportunity is always open,” Inman said. “The day you stop trying to achieve and reach your dreams is the day you stop growing as an individual.”
Relaying a quote from one of the earliest American self-help genre writers, Napoleon Hill, Inman told kids “Effort only releases its true reward after one refuses to quit,” and that still, to this day, he dreams about playing professionally for the San Antonio Spurs and is working towards that goal.
But, Inman said, it is not important to define one’s self by their title or association, but the time and dedication put in to reaching the goal.
The two took questions from the kids, who soaked in the information and asked about their backgrounds as well as how they got to where they are today.
“I learned that he adults in our life are trying to help us,” said 12-year-old Ludrianna Bazile. “But sometimes it doesn’t feel that way because it’s not the way you wanted it to go.”
Understanding that things don’t always pan out the way you want it to will help Bazile in the long run, she said.
“I’ll probably get into less trouble at school or at home,” she said.
“We work hard to provide our Club kids with the self-confidence they need to thrive in life,” said Douglas Eagles, executive director of the Asbury Park unit of the Boys & Girls Club. “The opportunity to bring in talented athletes like JR Inman and Tyrell Briggs and have them share their inspirational stories of grit and perseverance shows our young people what it takes to succeed.”
Inman and Biggs both grew up in Rockland County, NY, and have been friends since they were 10. Along with playing in the NBA’s Development League, they run the Rocktown Monarchs Academy, which offers basketball training and instruction.
It was their first time conducting a clinic outside of the academy.
“We grew up like this, going to a lot of camps” said Briggs. “We were fortunate to have good programs that taught us about the game and about life, and we want to do that for the next generation coming up.”
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