The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 4, 2022 146 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 34th edition of the Jeff Rodgers Basketball Camp will get underway today on the outside basketball courts of the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

Camp organizer Jeff Rodgers said that he is excited to launch the camp for a 34th year.

“I am happy for the parents who have a lot of faith and confidence in me to trust me with their children for four weeks, so I am just excited about that and our corporate sponsors. This is going to be a great camp this year and I am looking forward to it. Everyone was locked down for a few years,” Rodgers stated.

The four-week camp will wrap up on July 29. It is open for boys and girls from ages five to 18 and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays. The highlight of the camp is the interaction between National Basketball Association (NBA) and former NBA players and the campers on July 28 on what is dubbed “Family Night”.

Some of the players making the trek to The Bahamas are Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, and Brooklyn Nets players Kyrie Irving and James Johnson. On the retired players list are Tyrone ‘Muggsy’ Bogues, Shelvin Mack and Bahamian and former No. 1 overall draft pick Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson.

“We do not use the professional players to tell the campers to be an NBA player. We use them to encourage them and share their information about what it takes for them to become a professional. So, we talk about the basic stuff like staying in school, how to conduct yourself and how to stay out of trouble. We use that part of the camp and if you become a professional, then so be it. The main focus is to educate and teach them how to be disciplined,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers is looking forward to ‘Family Night’ which will be held at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. On that night, the campers will get to show what they learned, then the exhibition game between the local players, camp instructors and the professional players will take place.

“I personally believe that everybody has a calling in life to give something back,” Rodgers said. “This is a way to give back to the community, making my sacrifice by taking my vacation time to work with the young people by keeping them busy for four weeks. We share information with them and invite other professionals from the community to come and spend time with them. It is a calling and, for me, I accepted my calling,” said Rodgers.

The camp is sponsored by South Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Church; the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; the Royal Bank of Canada; Scotiabank Bahamas Ltd.; Bamboo Shack; Baha Mar; J.S. Johnson Insurance Ltd.; Bahamas First and Jewels Party Supply.

Jeff Rodgers camp gets underway today 

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 4, 2022 146 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 34th edition of the Jeff Rodgers Basketball Camp will get underway today on the outside basketball courts of the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

Camp organizer Jeff Rodgers said that he is excited to launch the camp for a 34th year.

“I am happy for the parents who have a lot of faith and confidence in me to trust me with their children for four weeks, so I am just excited about that and our corporate sponsors. This is going to be a great camp this year and I am looking forward to it. Everyone was locked down for a few years,” Rodgers stated.

The four-week camp will wrap up on July 29. It is open for boys and girls from ages five to 18 and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays. The highlight of the camp is the interaction between National Basketball Association (NBA) and former NBA players and the campers on July 28 on what is dubbed “Family Night”.

Some of the players making the trek to The Bahamas are Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, and Brooklyn Nets players Kyrie Irving and James Johnson. On the retired players list are Tyrone ‘Muggsy’ Bogues, Shelvin Mack and Bahamian and former No. 1 overall draft pick Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson.

“We do not use the professional players to tell the campers to be an NBA player. We use them to encourage them and share their information about what it takes for them to become a professional. So, we talk about the basic stuff like staying in school, how to conduct yourself and how to stay out of trouble. We use that part of the camp and if you become a professional, then so be it. The main focus is to educate and teach them how to be disciplined,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers is looking forward to ‘Family Night’ which will be held at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. On that night, the campers will get to show what they learned, then the exhibition game between the local players, camp instructors and the professional players will take place.

“I personally believe that everybody has a calling in life to give something back,” Rodgers said. “This is a way to give back to the community, making my sacrifice by taking my vacation time to work with the young people by keeping them busy for four weeks. We share information with them and invite other professionals from the community to come and spend time with them. It is a calling and, for me, I accepted my calling,” said Rodgers.

The camp is sponsored by South Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Church; the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; the Royal Bank of Canada; Scotiabank Bahamas Ltd.; Bamboo Shack; Baha Mar; J.S. Johnson Insurance Ltd.; Bahamas First and Jewels Party Supply.