By Courtney Dentch
The school year may just be right around the corner, but before Hollis students start learning their reading, writing and ‘rithmetic there’s one more chance for lessons of a different kind – free throws, lay ups and slam dunks.
Lifelong Hollis resident and basketball player Bruce Bishop will be running his Developmental Basketball Camp next week from Monday to Friday at Haggerty Park on Jamaica Avenue and 202nd Street. The camp is open to students ages 7 to 15 and free to all participants, Bishop said.
Bishop started the camp in 2000, when he offered to help neighborhood kids refine their technique, he said.
“That first year I just was getting the kids together” he said. “I’d say ‘meet me in the park and I’ll help you with the game.’”
For the first two years, Bishop shelled out his own money for T-shirts for his students and the equipment they needed to play, said his wife Sharita. This year the camp has gained status as a non-profit organization, and many local businesses, churches and residents have donated money and goods for the camp, so the students can have their shirts, basketballs, and even water coolers, she said.
Bishop began playing basketball with his brothers when he was 6, and continued on to play point guard on Catholic Youth Organizations, high school and college teams, and he also played in minor level professional leagues, he said. He started the camp as a way to give children in his neighborhood the same chances, he said.
“I figured it would be an inspiration to help kids so they can at least give themselves a shot at making it in the pros,” Bishop said.
Aside from basketball, the camp is aimed at teaching the children discipline, responsibility and other basic life skills, Bishop said.
“I’m going to make sure the kids have themselves academically straight so they can play,” he said. “It should be school and life and then basketball.”
Bishop expects about 50 children to come to the camp this year, although he has 100 T-shirts in hopes of a greater turnout, said his wife Sharita. He offers the camp for free to reach out to children who might miss out on basketball opportunities because of financial problems.
“A lot of people don’t have enough money to go to the bigger camps,” Bishop said. “I’m trying to give them that kind of quality and that kind of camp atmosphere for free.”
And children of all skill levels are encouraged to play, Bishop said.
“I want to help the kid who is overlooked,” he said. “They may not think they’re good enough to play or the coach didn’t give them a chance. You never know what can happen.”
Bishop is planning to expand the camp to offer three-day clinics throughout the year, scheduled to coincide with school holidays, said his wife Sharita. The clinics, like the camp, will be funded through donations, and the camp will be selling tote bags at a fund-raiser on Aug. 30, the last day of the camp, she said.
Children can sign up for the camp at the open registration Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wyanda Park on Hollis Avenue and 217th Street. Bishop is looking forward to a good turnout and a successful week, he said.
“This year is the first year I’m really going all out,” he said. “I really want to blow this thing up. I hope it becomes big enough so that it gets people outside the community involved.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 138.
