Hampton, Va. – The men's and women's basketball program at Hampton University held a free basketball camp on the campus of Hampton on Monday and Tuesday of this week as a way to give back to the community. The camp was for just a select few area kids and there were around 115 kids between the ages of 9-13.
The camp was the braintrust of men's head coach Edward Joyner Jr. and women's head coach
David Six, who wanted to come up with a way to give back to the Hampton Roads community.
“The community here in Hampton has done so much for us (Hampton University) and we felt that it was time to give back,” said Pirates head coach Ed Joyner, Jr.
“Coach Joyner came to me with the idea of holding a free camp for the area youths and I was all over it,” said Lady Pirates head coach
David Six. “We have to work on developing a great relationship with the community because as we support them they will support us.”
The camp which took place over a two-day span focused on basic fundamental skills for the campers. They worked on dribbling, passing, shooting and defensive positioning.
“This was a great idea,” said one parent. “A free camp for these kids was great right before they head back to school … Coach Six and Joyner are doing a great thing for the young people in the community.”
The free camp is something that Joyner and Six are looking at possibly doing again in the future at Hampton University.
Both the men's and women's basketball teams will open up the 2010-11 season in the preseason National Invitational Tournaments (NIT). The women will open up at James Madison on Nov. 12, while the men will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face Wake Forest on Nov. 15.
For more ticket information about Hampton Basketball ball contact the HU Ticket Office at 757-728-6828 and for general information contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5811.