LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The rims were removed from the playground backboards in March. The balls went into the closet.
The high school basketball seasons in Kentucky and Indiana were stopped without champions. Unheard of. The AAU season remains on hold, likely another loss because of the novel coronavirus.
Camps have always been a summer staple. They were erased from the schedule, too.
Robbie Valentine, a member of Louisville’s 1986 NCAA championship team, and Wiley Brown, the center on the Cardinals’ 1980 national title squad, are ready for basketball. With health restrictions in both states scheduled to ease, Valentine and Brown plan to team for a basketball camp for boys and girls ages 5 to 16 at Nachand Fieldhouse in Jeffersonville, Indiana, from July 6-10.
Valentine said that he plans to run a second camp at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville from July 13-16.
“When the virus restrictions began in March, a lot of kids had something taken away from them that they love doing very much,” Valentine said. “They’ve haven’t been able to be with their friends. They haven’t been able to do anything at all. I think there’s a need.”
“I’m a believer that in basketball, you build friendships and relationships that can last your whole life. That’s how it’s been for me," Brown said. “For three months, kids haven’t been able to get out and do much. There are a lot of kids that just love the game. This is a chance for them to get back to basketball.”
Originally, Valentine planned for the first camp session to begin at the KFC Yum! Center next Monday, but that session was canceled because of COVID-19 restrictions. Valentine is director of premium sales and services at the arena.
Brown also had to cancel his annual camps at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana, where he has been the head coach for 13 seasons. Instead, the two former Cardinals decided to work together at the camp in Jeffersonville.
Valentine said the required health precautions will be followed. Camp activity will be limited to instructional groups and individual drill competitions in shooting, ball-handling and other skills. No games or scrimmages will be played. If necessary, the camps could be delayed.
Campers must have their temperatures checked before they can enter either facility. Parents will be asked to remain outside after dropping off their children, if possible. No more than two athletes will be allowed in restrooms at a time. Hand sanitizer will be supplied.
Valentine said that former U of L players Milt Wagner, Scooter McCray, Tony Branch and Chris West as well as Jack Givens, the Most Outstanding Player from Kentucky’s 1978 NCAA title run, are scheduled to appear at the second session.
Former Jeffersonville stars Joe Estes, Brooke Valentine and Darryl Baker will also contribute.
For the camp in Jeffersonville, the cost is $225 for campers who attend from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and $160 for half-day campers who attend the morning session. For the Louisville camp, the charge is $185 for a full day and $120 for the morning session. Additional information is available at this link.
“There’s definitely a gap in activities available for kids across the community,” Valentine said.
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