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Syracuse Kids Go to Safe Basketball Camp Syracuse Kids Go to Safe Basketball Camp

By Jalyss Lyann

Sports
© 2023 Jalyss Agosto

Anchor: Coaches at PGU help kids enhance their character, skills and performance leaving a PGU member Jaxon Diemand explaining what life would be like without a coach.

Jaxon Diamend: When you don’t have that coach anymore, or if that coach stays with you that’s great, but when you don’t have the coach anymore, you learn a lot and you can continue to do what they taught you moving forward.

Anchor: As some parents agree, having a coach in their kids’ lives does impact them.

Sahari Smith Mother: My son is the only child you know, and I’m a single parent mom. So these coaches make a big difference in his everyday life.

Anchor: As she continues to express her appreciation for coaches.

Sahari Smith Mother: You know, Sahari looks forward to and he’s able to take constructive criticism which is a big thing, which I feel like it comes from coaches you know, if he wasn’t able to be coached up by great guys and you know, so it’s important to have them in his life because not everybody has, you know, a role model or somebody to look up to in their household.

Anchor: Zach Mcnall, a coach for Point Guard U says she hit it right on the nose!

Zach Mcnall: Just bringing, bringing people together through a passion they have is a great way to build relationships and you know, grow.

Anchor: It’s more than just coaching; it’s about changing lives.

Anchor: Jalyss Agosto, N-C-C News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) —. Point Guard U held a Basketball Camp for Kids Monday afternoon in Syracuse. This training camp establishes a safe place for kids to learn new skills from professional coaches, have fun and create lifelong memories.

Reed Warner is 27-years-old and was a high school basketball coach for four years. Warner has been the Point Guard U National Camp Director for one year.

Warner said it was important to create basketball camps like Point Guard U for kids in environments like Syracuse no matter their personal or financial situation.

“Growing up in Upstate New York, even in Rochester, Buffalo, you look to Syracuse, when it comes time for basketball season. So bringing a camp to Syracuse is a no-brainer. Something super important to us is just making it an opportunity for everyone, regardless of their parents financial situation, their home background, and just getting kids a chance to come play get better learn from coaches from all over the state,” said Warner.

Another coach, Zach Mcnall

said keeping kids occupied with camps like these has an impact and keeps the love for the sport flowing.
“It does a lot for one, it gets them active, it keeps them out of the house. It gets them involved with many, many different people,” said Mcnall.

Sahari Smith’s mother, made it clear that it’s bigger than just coaching basketball. Having this basketball camp keeps her son busy and away from violence.

“Yes, it’s very important with living in the city of Syracuse. Nobody’s a stranger to you know, there’s a lot of violence going on in the inner city, which we come from, so everything I can do to keep him on track,” said Smith’s mother.

Kids attending the camp believed having opportunities like this are great and do keep them busy.

Jaxon Diemand, a camp member added that being a part of Point Guard U camp helped him gain new skills, friends and build long lasting mentorship that impacts his life and keeps him out of trouble.

“Having a coach is like someone like it’s like a role model you can look up to and it’s someone who can, like, show you your way,” said Diemand.

Point Guard U camp has given these kids a map to a brighter future.

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