FORT CARSON, Colo. — Fort Carson Child and Youth Services (CYS) sports hosted a free basketball skills camp at the youth center Sept. 18, 2021, for 120 young athletes.
The camp was organized and co-sponsored by Gold Crown Foundation, featured Denver Nuggets player Zeke Nnaji, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs basketball players and was hosted by Fort Carson’s Child and Youth Services sports office.
The camp gave the young athlete’s a chance to learn about basketball and other life lessons from the professional and collegiate athletes, said Otis Forrest, sports director, CYS.
“This was a great opportunity for our young athletes,” Forrest said. “We are always so grateful to Bill Hanzlik with Gold Crown Foundation, the Denver Nuggets organization, the UCCS basketball program, led by Jeff Culver. And of course, the people at Fort Carson who make this day possible. I am overjoyed at the lessons the children were able to learn today, and so grateful we can have a quality program like this for our Fort Carson youth.”
Culver, UCCS head basketball coach, and his team made their second visit to the Mountain Post in the past two years for the event. He said anytime his team can give back to the community and work with local kids, they are more than willing and excited. Being able to work with military Families was something he and his players did not want to pass up.
“Anytime we can get out in the community to work with youth, we look forward to those opportunities,” Culver said. “When Coach Hanzlik asked us to come out and support this program — that was an easy ‘yes’ for us. Our guys had a great time a couple of years ago, and we missed being able to be here last year, so we were excited to be able to get back out here today.”
Culver said the event means so much to him and his team and he hopes the young athletes will learn lifelong lessons.
“The biggest lesson we think the kids will learn today from our players is not about basketball,” Culver said. “While we will be running basketball drills with the youth, we also want our guys to interact with them and talk to them about what they are studying in college and why grades are so important. We also want to talk with them about making good decisions in life. This also gives us a chance to have fun in association with the game while giving back to our community.”
David Jabedo, a member of the UCCS team and a former standout at Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs, said his own upbringing was a reason he wanted to be part of the camp.
“I actually went to the Melo (Carmelo Anthony, NBA player) camp in Denver when I was younger, and I tell my friends about that experience all the time,” he said. “What has stuck with me is how good it felt at that age to be around professional athletes. I am sure the young people here will feel the same way being around collegiate athletes … when they grow up.”
The feature athlete at the event was Nnaji, the Nuggets’ 6-foot, 10-inch player who went to school at the University of Arizona. Nnaji walked into the youth center complex and interacted with the young athletes and said it was valuable to give back to the community that supports him.
“I realize how important it is to help the next generation of kids grow and succeed so they understand how to be leaders in the future,” Nnaji said.
“I went to these types of events a lot when I was a kid. I remember the first one I went to was in kindergarten. I would go to basketball camps, football camps and soccer camps. Those are some of my best childhood memories. I remember playing with my friends at these camps, and I think that being here today and being a part of this is something that is very special to me and will be special to the kids in the future.”
Nnaji also showed the children he was more than an athlete near the end of the camp as he sat at a piano and played a song that had young children and the adults in the youth center applauding.
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