Wednesday, Jun. 27, 2012

Former NBA player brings camp to Smith

The Sam Mitchell Basketball Camp, which annually hosts more than 200 youths in Columbus, is coming to Fort Benning.

Former NBA Coach of the Year and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Sam Mitchell said he is creating a satellite camp at Fort Benning that will run simultaneously with his regular camp.

The Fort Benning Camp will be held July 24-26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Smith Fitness Center, while the regular camp will take place at Columbus State University’s Franklin G. Lumpkin Center. Registration for the Fort Benning camp, which opens Sunday, is $20.

“It’s a way to try to combine the kids at Fort Benning and Columbus and give them a chance to participate,” said Mitchell, a Columbus High School graduate who currently hosts Time Out with Sam Mitchell weekdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on 1460 AM.

“Our camp in Columbus is sold out within a month. We talked about how to include Fort Benning and … we decided to do a satellite camp.”

Mitchell said the camp is part of the SAMARC Dream and Achieve Foundation, founded by Mitchell and his best friend, Marc Upshaw, who went to Columbus with him.

“We had always made a pact that if we were ever successful, we would come back to Columbus and give back to the kids,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the camp will include more than a dozen coaches and speakers to lead drills and give lectures about good citizenship and education.

The camp began in 2005, and Mitchell said some participants from the early years have returned to volunteer as counselors.

“It’s a tool that we use to teach life lessons,” he said.

For more information about the camp, call Child, Youth & School Services at 706-545-1853.