OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 17, 2010 -- After a successful summer, Thunder Youth Basketball will return this fall and winter with camps and mini-camps aimed at teaching boys and girls basketball skills and the life lessons that stem from the game.
The camps, presented by Cox Communications, are open to boys and girls between the ages of 5 to 16. Each camper receives a Thunder Youth Basketball T-shirt and a complimentary ticket to a Thunder home game.
To register, go online to www.thunder.nba.com and click on the Thunder Youth Basketball icon. Thunder Season Ticket Members and Thunder Kids Club members receive a 20-percent discount off registration.
Nearly 120 kids participated in last season’s Spring Break camp, while the summer sessions drew more than 460 young people.
“Thunder Youth Basketball camps are a great way for young people to develop basketball skills and have a lot of fun in the meantime,” said Dan Mahoney, Thunder vice president of corporate communications and community relations.
“The Thunder has a strong commitment to the community and to bettering the lives of our young people, and Thunder Youth Basketball is a big part of both missions.”
Each camp will feature a Thunder presence that can include players and coaches. Previous camps have had visits from Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, Serge Ibaka, Eric Maynor and Byron Mullens, as well as Thunder assistant coach Rex Kalamian and Nate Tibbetts, head coach of the Thunder’s Development League team, the Tulsa 66ers.
In addition, each camper will receive a Thunder Youth Basketball T-shirt and ticket to a Thunder game for the 2010-11 season.
Kids in kindergarten through third-grade can sign up for the Rumble Mini-Dribblers. Every Monday evening over the course of four weeks, children will learn a dribbling routine to perform with Rumble shortly before the Nov. 10 home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The celebrated bison will also visit the mini-dribblers at one of the practice sessions.
“It’s particularly great for families because parents will be able to come to the arena floor to get pictures of their children performing the routine,” said Thunder Youth Basketball director Tyler Blackwell. “It promises to be a lot of fun for kids and their parents.”
The Thunder works with the National Basketball Academy to run the camps. The Academy organizes youth basketball programs for several other NBA teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, New Orleans Hornets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.