Missouri Southern State University forward Tyrone Wright sized up the skills of the younger players who arrived at the campus this week.
Wright, of Atlanta, said working summer camps gave him the opportunity to combine two of his favorite things — basketball and playing with kids.
“It feels good to be around the kids and teach them the fundamentals of the game,” he said, adding that he sees a range of capabilities.
“There’s some young, talented kids out here,” Wright said. “Some kids — you can tell they just started playing basketball, but some you can tell have been playing the game for a while.”
Asked about the future of basketball, he added: “They are taking over. … It’s looking real good.”
Tuesday was the second day of the four-day Future Lions basketball camp, presented by Southern’s men’s basketball program. It’s geared toward kindergarten through eighth-grade players, with an emphasis on fundamentals. More than 60 boys and girls participated, side by side with current MSSU players as well as Southern head coach Sam McMahon.
“It’s a great turnout,” McMahon said. “This is one of my favorite times of the year. We get to teach and help grow the game of basketball and at the same time get to be around the community and young kids. It keeps you young.”
McMahon said the most important lesson of the the camp is to have fun.
“This is just a game and we want them to enjoy it,” McMahon said, “We also want them to learn and grow and begin to embrace the hard work mentality that you can make yourself as good as you want to be. But the main goal is just to have fun.”
Lola Swanwick, 8, of Carl Junction, said her favorite part of the camp was simply “shooting hoops,” but she added that she enjoyed being around other players too.
Other camps offered by the MSSU men’s team this summer include three skill camps for kindergarten through eighth grade, taking place July 7-8, July 14-15 and July 21-22.
The Lions also will host two camps for high schoolers. The first is June 12, and the second will be Aug. 9.
Registration for the camps can be found at https://mssumensbasketballcamps.totalcamps.com.