The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE oldest basketball camp will get underway today at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, even though organiser Jeff Rodgers will have to operate from the courts on the outside due to the renovations taking place indoors.

Rodgers said his 29th Jeff Rodgers Summer Basketball Camp is shaping up to be just as exciting as it has been in the past with a number of international stars expected to participate throughout the month of activities.

“This year is going to set the bar for my 30th camp next year. We are expecting a great camp this summer with about 300-400 participants,” Rodgers said. “Everything is coming into place. We are looking forward to starting on Monday at 9am.

“We have a number of NBA players who are committed to participating this year. We’re bringing back the legends like Mugsy Bouges, Dell Curry, the father of Seth Curry. We also have Byron Scott and Mychal Thompson, along with Eric Gordon and Andre Iguodala and Sheldon Mack.”

Rodgers thanked Lynden Maycock, the new chairman of the National Sports Authority, for the effort he and his staff have made to facilitate the camp on the outside of the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium while the repairs are being carried out on the inside.

The camp is designed for boys and girls aged 5-18 and will be conducted from 9am to 1pm.

Farrington, one of the former campers who is returning to give back to the youngsters, said he’s excited about the potential for this year’s camp.

“This is my seventh year and I’ve seen a lot of kids who have come out of it like DeAndre Ayton, whom we saw when he attended the camp at Bahamas Academy,” Farrington said. “I think he was in the sixth grade going into seven and he was already 6-feet-7. Look at him today.”

Farrington said it’s so good when they can look at the progress the players are making today, mentioning Deangelo Mackey, who was a stellar performer for the CI Gibson Rattlers.

“I want to continue to teach them about the fundamentals, using the right footwork, how to shoot with both hands,” Farrington said. “Those things you can’t take for granted. These are some simple stuff that can take them far in life.”

Farrington started this season playing in Sweden and returned home to play for a short time in the New Providence Basketball Association before he finished off in Mexico.

He said he hopes to share some of his expertise as an international player.

“I’m working with a new agent, who is trying to get me in France,” said Farrington, who has been playing professionally for the past five years.

Farrington, 27, opted not to play on the men’s national basketball team that finished seventh at the CentroBasket Tournament in Panama last week because he wanted to take some time off to recuperate. But he felt that they could have played better.

“Obviously, they are a young squad,” he said. “They took some tough blows and lost some close games. It’s a young squad, so if they can keep them together, they will only get better in the future. They have to go through these growing pains.”

Although he no longer plays after two major injuries sidelined him, Jeff Rodgers Jr said he’s excited to assist his father in keeping the longevity of the camp intact.

“He started this camp a few months before I was born,” said Rodgers Jr, who at 29 is now a restaurant manager at Atlantis. “To know that he has been consistently doing this for 29 years is awesome.

“Most camps last for one year or two, so for him to consistently do this for that long is something that has blown my mind. He has kept it at a high level and it keeps getting better and better.”