By: Liam Blutman
Sad to say but that time of year is upon us— The very end of summer. Unfortunately, as Fall looms it also signifies the Young3 tour is coming to a close. The final camp of the summer took place in Long Beach, California where we set up shop at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park Boys and Girls Club. Fun fact— Snoop Dogg actually attended this club when he was a kid. Crazy to think that this new group of kids is learning life right right where Snoop Dogg grew up. Today we were pleased to welcome 70+ kids to camp and thank you all for making your way here as we learned some kids drove from pretty far out just to live the Young3 experience!
The Young3 coaches helping out the youth today were: Jerome Williams, Johnnie Williams, Josh Williams, Charles “Choo” Smith, Eric “Broadway” Jones, Kevin Whitted, James “Hollywood” Robinson, Desmon Farmer, Erin Thorn, Bryan Burrell, Lamar Lundy, and yours truly, Liam Blutman. We were also glad to have former WNBA player, Carolyn Moos and former NBA player, Keith Closs assist us today. Both brought great value and energy and were a huge plus to the Young3 experience. I spoke to each of the two and they raved about the Young3 experience. Carolyn spoke highly of the fact that boys and girls play together in the Young3. I’m really glad that she talked about this as it’s something that flys under the radar. Most boys play against boys with girls looking on the outside wanting a chance to battle the boys. Well at the Young3, it’s co-ed play and we’ve seen very talented girls make the boys look silly often! Carolyn said the opportunity for girls to play against boys will raise their confidence levels as well as see a quick rise in their basketball skills. She credits some of her success in basketball to having played plenty of co-ed basketball as a kid. Keith was excited to give back to the community and stated, “It’s so vitally important that these young kids see us and know we’re real just like they are. It gives them a thought that one day maybe they can make it too and use their platform for good!” We were also fortunate to have Gene Smith in the building and his speech to the kids about being the best person they can be was amazing. And Erin Thorn also had a wonderful speech with her message ring that the kids need to realize that it’s alright to be uncomfortable but you just need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable!
The kids participated in a clinic and a 3 on 3 tournament. They were all given pizza and tickets to the Big3 Championship! Each kid was super excited to meet each of our coaches and take pictures with them, receive autographs, play basketball with them! Just some special moments for these members of the youth, moments they’ll cherish for years to come.
Thank you so much to everybody who made the entire 2019 summer of Young3 an outstanding one. We met some pretty incredible young boys and girls all over the country. We thank those who participated in the camp, those who helped coach, the BIG3, Adidas, and those who spread the Young3 word and message. It’s important for you all to know that the Young3 doesn’t function at a high level without you all and plenty more. Thank you and look forward to seeing y’all next year.
