By Matthew Hatfield

Special to the News-Herald

 

The 12th Annual Youngstarz Basketball Camp, which took place earlier this month at Nansemond River High School, had one of its largest turnouts ever.

A total of 67 boys and girls participated throughout the week. Ed Young, the director and boys’ basketball coach at Nansemond River, usually limits the total of campers to 60. But this year marked the second largest participation ever, trailing only the 73 that participated four years ago.

Jaden Slater, a rising second-grader at Central Christian Academy in Portsmouth, was one of the youngest campers to ever come through and enjoyed his experience.

“It was super fun,” Jaden said. “I got to learn how to dribble the ball through my legs and they taught me how to shoot three-pointers. I really like shooting the basketball. My favorite part was the free-throws (one-on-one and hot shot).”

Darrin Clark, a rising seventh-grader at John Yeates Middle School, received Most Outstanding Camper, one of the many awards handed out at the conclusion of the weeklong camp.

“This was my first year here, and it was exciting,” Darrin said. “I learned how to rebound and post moves. I also got to go up against people that were taller than me. The best thing was me getting to play five-on-five, because I can help my teammates get the ball and score.”

Among some of Young’s current and past players helping run some of the drills was Nate Foster, a rising senior guard for the Warriors, who participated in the camp on multiple occasions when he was younger.

“It was definitely fun and entertaining,” Foster said. “The kids kept me on my toes, teaching them to get better. It’s also a good thing for the community to have kids wanting to play basketball, instead of being on the streets.”

Foster said he believes the camp not only teaches about the game, but some valuable life lessons as well.

“Everything’s not going to always go your way,” he said. “It’s not about how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up. You’ve got to keep fighting and battling.”