The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH this being the 20th year that he has put on his summer basketball camp, Jeff Rodgers said he couldn’t ask for a better line-up of celebrities than Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson and his sons, Mychel and Klay Thompson.

The Thompsons, along with Eric Gordon (of Bahamian descent) of the New Orleans Pelicans and Shelvin Mack of the Atlanta Hawks attended yesterday’s camp at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. They all got a huge response of approval from the many campers and instructors.

“I am thankful to God for continuing to bless the camp, every year for the past 22 years,” Rodgers said. “It’s never a year that we didn’t have a NBA player or coach in the camp. So to have this year up to nine NBA players and coaches is a blessing from God, so I’m excited and happy to be able to do something that I believe God has called me to do, to build characters.”

Throughout the week, Rodgers said he expects a number of other celebrities, including Byron Scott, coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and guard Jordan Clarkson, to make an appearance in the camp.

Additionally, Rodgers said he was delighted to have Mychal Thompson and his sons back home and a part of the camp.

“Mychal has always supported me. We are good friends. He understands what I am trying to accomplish,” Rodgers said. “So to have a living legend like Mychal Thompson is a blessing and this is a commitment that he has made and he’s here to honour that commitment.”

Gordon, whose mother Denise is Bahamian, said it’s always a pleasure for him whenever he gets a chance to come back to the Bahamas.

“I have a lot of friends and family here, so I enjoy coming here,” he said. “This will always be my second home or my home away from home for me.”

And as he watches the many youngsters as they sat and listened to them speak, Gordon said he wished that he would have had the same opportunity as they have, but at the same time, he’s pleased to see that Rodgers is making a difference in allowing them to come and share their experiences with the campers.

“It’s growing and so it’s fun to be able to make a contribution,” said the six-foot, 4-inch shooting guard for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Gordon, 26, is now into his seventh year in the league after playing for the Indiana University Hoosiers.

“My team made the playoffs last year, now we are on the uprise and looking to be a championship calibre team,” said Gordon, whose team is centred around rising star Anthony Davis. “We’re going to be around for a long time because we are young and we’re looking forward to winning a lot more games.”

No doubt, Gordon would like for his Pelicans to avenge their first round defeat to Klay Thompson and his champions Golden State Warriors. “They were prepared and they played at a high level every game,” Gordon said. “They deserve to win it.”

Mack, a 6-3 guard for the Atlanta Hawks, said he’s been in the Bahamas a number of times, but it’s his first appearance at the camp and he’s impressed with what he saw so far.

“It’s feels good. It’s a blessing to have been invited down here and I’m looking forward to doing whatever I can to help the camp,” he said. “I played with Klay Thompson on the USA basketball team and I’ve known Eric Gordon for a while, so when they asked me to come down, I couldn’t resist the opportunity.”

The fourth-year player out of Butler University said as one of the young players in the league, he’s looking forward to a bright future and hopefully he can help the Hawks win a title in the near future after they fell short in two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011 with the Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament.

One of the camp instructors Eugene Bain, who played on the national team last year with Mychel Thompson, said it’s good to have the stars in town.

“It’s good to have the NBA professional players in the camp so that they can talk to the kids,” Bain said. “They were just like us when they were small. So I think it’s really good for them to come here and share their experiences with them.”

As a fan of the NBA, Bain said he has watched all of the players play and he has been pleased with their performances, especially Klay Thompson, who is a “sharp shooter.”

And Lavar Johnson, another instructor, said it was good for the campers because some of them have never seen a NBA player in person.

“They now know that whatever these guys have achieved in life, they can achieve it too,” Johnson said. “So it was good to see the look on their faces as they watched these guys walked into the gym. I think for those who have seen them for the first time, it’s going to be something for them to cherish for a long time.”

William Bowe, a 12-year-old from Florida visiting his family, said he has been impressed with Klay Thompson. “It feels great to see these guys. Klay Thompson is great. I want a personal match-up with him,” said Bowe, who many consider him an image of Thompson’s back court mate, Steph Curry. “I’m just glad that I got to see Klay.”

Branae Bain, another 12-year-old who is in town for the summer from Apage Christian School in Abaco, said it’s a “once in a life time opportunity” for her to meet the NBA players.

“I love Klay Thompson. He’s a super star,” Bain said.

Both Klay Thompson and Eric Gordon put on a three-point shooting clinic for the campers before all of the players participated in a make up game with some of the instructors before the camp broke for the day.