Purple Pride in Action: Over 90 Kids Join K-State Players at Free Community Camp
The Manhattan Catbackers hosted their second-annual kids basketball camp, a free event for kids in the community for incoming fourth graders. The camp hosted over 90 kids, the entire K-State men’s basketball team, their coaching staff and K-State women’s basketball players.
Jason Sager, the lead in organizing the event, said he “didn’t think it was possible.”
“When I got to know a few of the basketball coaches through Catbacker events, I just asked if they’d be willing to donate their time,” J. Sager said. “We did it last year, and it was great. Then this year, we got an even better turnout.”
Christin Sager, another lead in organizing the camp, said they market purposefully to kids who can’t always go to every camp.
“We would try to get more, if we could,” she said. “[Parents] are always shocked it’s free, but the Catbackers raise the money for it, so it works. We just like kids. Really, that’s it.”
Once all of the kids had arrived and donned their free purple jerseys, they were split into groups of seven around the court, getting to spend time with different players and coaches for each round.
The first station was led by men’s assistant coach Rodney Perry, who not only worked with the kids on their free throws, but also on their teamwork and camaraderie. After each child shot from the line, all the kids gave a single clap to support their teammate. “If we don’t clap, there’s pushups!” Perry announced to the group before they started. Taj Manning, a K-State men’s basketball player, kept a playful attitude when he noticed kids not clapping, but made sure they did a pushup.
Once the buzzer sounded, run by men’s head coach Jerome Tang, the kids huddled together with their groups. Various chants rang throughout the gym, including “win the day” and “‘Cats on three.”
Valerie Hoehner, a camp participant parent, shared her experience of her child learning from the K-State basketball players.
“Even pulling into the parking lot and seeing the men’s and women’s basketball players getting out, [the kids] look up to them,” she said. “Being able to be this close in contact with them is a good experience.”
The second station was led by men’s associate head coach Matthew Driscoll, who taught chest passes to the kids. Driscoll used the phrase “OTOT,” standing for “on time, on target.”
“We can’t throw it up there,” he said, as he passed a ball to women’s player Brandie Harrod, sending it above her head. “Because they can’t shoot it! The key is the pointer finger. Where it goes, the ball goes,” Driscoll said, then passing the ball squarely to Harrod.
For the K-State basketball teams they understand the importance of camps and events.
“We understand the love that Manhattan has for Kansas State men’s basketball, and we just want to reciprocate it,” Marco Borne, men’s basketball assistant coach, said. “They understand that one time they were that age, the coaches were that age, we’ve all been through these camps and these programs, so it just is a wonderful time to be able to give to the kids the way that people have given to us.”
Other stations included a game of knockout, run by women’s player Alexis Hess, dribbling drills run by men’s director of analytics Chase Driscoll and men’s player David Castillo and rebounding drills run by men’s assistant coach Jareem Dowling and men’s player Mobi Ikegwuruka.
On the last rotation of the evening, a two-team first-to-seven game run by men’s assistant coach Anthony Winchester, women’s player Jordan Spieser and men’s player Abdi Bashir Jr. closed their station by asking the kids something that they had learned from the game. “Use the backboard,” resounded from the group, before Bashir Jr. counted down the huddle with “‘Cats on three!”
“For the kids, they’re going to remember [this] forever,” Jason Sager said. “Hopefully for the parents… they take their kids to games to see the players that they got to spend time with.”
“It’s a great thing to be able to give some kids the opportunity to do this free of cost,” Borne said. “I think it’s a great time, great experience. Hopefully they’re going to learn more than just basketball, be able to make some friends, be able to learn and have a great time.”
