The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) will hold its annual Top 100 elite youth camp in Rock Hill, S.C. June 9-13. Now in its 31^st year, top high school sophomores and juniors from around the country, as well as international players, participate in several days of skill development, instruction, and related activities.  

“It is very important for us to get the best of the best,” Christopher Jean, NBPA THINK450 associate vice president of business development and basketball activation, told the MSR last week via Zoom.   

This year the NBPA introduced a new system for inviting participants, including nominations from elite youth basketball circuits, and using evaluations from 25 top scouts to vote and rank nominees. “We have a lot of folk nominating kids…the right kids and diamonds in the rough,” added Jean.  

Former campers and current NBA players include the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, Steph Curry, Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, “and a host of others,” said Jean.  

Also new this year is a camp director. Phil Handy, who recently coached in the first year of the Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s basketball league and is a longtime NBA assistant coach, will serve in that capacity. Other elements at the camp include an NBPA Coaching Program for participating NBA players; legendary coaches like Tubby Smith and Phil Martelli as instructors; an NBPA Parent Program; and educational sessions on such topics as NIL, mental health and wellness, and financial literacy.

“It’s one thing to make them better on the court, but also make them better off the court as well,” stressed Jean, who added that each camper at the conclusion of the camp will receive a report card and “real time feedback from their coaches.” 

Rock Hill Sports and Events Center is the campsite for the first time. “We want to make sure we use every inch of the facility,” Jean declared of the state-of-the-art camp.  

The NBPA is the NBA players union, and THINK450 is the group’s licensing and partnership engine.

Gopher 100 update

There are approximately 100 African American and other student-athletes of color this school year at the University of Minnesota. In an occasional series throughout the school year and sports year, the MSR will highlight many of these players. This week: Gopher honorees

 Anthonett Nabwe, a Liberian native who came to North Dakota before her high school freshman year, is one of the country’s best throwers. The redshirt sophomore last weekend was among 39 Minnesota athletes who competed in the 2005 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field First Round May 29-31 at Texas A&M University.  

Nabwe came into the field events 19^th in the shot put, 6^th in the discus and 4^th in the hammer throw.  She was ranked first in both the hammer throw and the discus, and seventh in the shot put at the 2025 Big Ten Championships.

“I’m still striving for more,” said Nabwe earlier this year to the MSR, “because I’m trying to make it to the [2028] Olympics, get on the big stage. The more nervous I am, the better I tend to perform, because that gives me more of a push instead of if I’m too laid back, I don’t really perform like I’m supposed to.”

Junior Breezy Burnett was among five Gopher softball players named last week to the College Sports Communicators 2025 Academic All-District Team. She was a 2024 Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

The Florida native started all 50 games for Minnesota this year and led the team with three triples, second with two stolen bases, and third with 24 RBI. 

“I still got next year, so I’m excited to keep chipping away,” said Burnett. “School is really good.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

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BERKELEY, CA – If you saw Antonio Davis on the court, you remember a fierce power forward and rebounder. As he played, he saw failure as something he couldn’t afford.

LISBON – The Lisbon Arts Initiative will launch “Art Building Community Developing Expression” (ABCDE), an arts-based program created for youth in grades K-5, on June 28, at the New Lisbon Presbyterian Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The ABCDE project is LAI’s first public arts initiative. The focus is to offer these youth an opportunity to learn, experience, and gain exposure to the arts through their participation in 18-minute/to 60-m experiential workshops led by local artists. These workshops include dance, improvisation, music, and painting. We are hoping future workshops can include poetry writing, puppetry, sculpture, and more.

The ABCDE workshop will give students in grades K-5 a chance to learn and expand their experiences in the arts as they participate in experimental workshops taught by local artists:

— Dance workshop will be taught by Christine Martin, owner of Leap of Faith Dance Studio at the Trinity Playhouse and a choreographer for productions by Stage Left Players in Lisbon.

— Paul Dahman, Stage Left’s master teacher, will orchestrate the improv class.

— Debbie Fonner, retiring music teacher at Lisbon’s McKinley Elementary, will lead a music class

— Barbara Schmidt, a retired art teacher from East Liverpool Schools and owner of Warm HeARTs Studio in Columbiana, will teach visual arts.

“I’m so excited to be able to find creative ways to help bring the arts into our community,” said Mark Hamilton, Lisbon Arts Initiative president and Source Gallery owner. “This first workshop will be a fun way for kids to experience some of the variety in arts and performance and begin to think about what forms of expression they like best, what touches their heart. The Lisbon Arts Initiative team is looking forward to offering this and many more future events.”

Parents have the option of signing up their kids in advance or just show up the day of the workshops. We ask that the kids bring their own box lunch, water will be provided for the kids.

Adults and local high school honor society student volunteers will also be onsite at each workshop and escort the students from one arts project to another.

Following the launch, the ABCDE team will evaluate feedback from the participating youth, parents, and artists in order to determine the best options to continue offering arts events and programs for area youth, and to identify currently available opportunities for expression.

Other ABCDE members include Kandace Cleland, executive director of Stage Left Players; Deborah Fonner, Lisbon Exempted Village Schools music teacher; Kristen Huston, executive director of the Almost Perfect Foundation; and Georgia Smith, Lisbon Counseling Center; and Sarah Morris of Epoch Decor. ABCDE was facilitated by Bellefontaine, Ohio native Jane Collins, who coaches Ohio communities on addressing local needs through employing local artists.

ABCDE and LAI are made possible in part by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

For information on ABCDE contact Mark Hamilton at mark@lisbonartsinitiative.org. For information on starting a similar initiative in your community, contact Jane Collins at jahcollins@gmail.com.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The corner of Victory Blvd. and Travis Avenue is getting a well-deserved upgrade on Father’s Day.

And it’s been a long-time coming.

Bill Rogers, the legendary Mid-Island Little League president and fabled coach of the loop’s Little League World Series championship in 1964, will have a street sign with his name added to the aforementioned corner during a ceremony on June 15th.

The gala, which is expected to be attended by many, will begin at 11 a.m.

The street naming ceremony will be a part of Mid-Island’s “Bill Rogers Day” festivities.

Rogers died three years ago this month. He was 86.

John Pleszewicz, Mid-Island’s long-time president, is thrilled to finally see Rogers get his due.

“I’m happy to see the man get recognized, it’s something that been long overdue,’’ said Pleszewicz. ”He was a great mentor to me. He came around and showed me the ropes and that’s something I’ll always appreciate it.’’

Rogers, who eventually became Staten Island’s District Administrator, never hesitated to come back to Mid-Island’s Travis complex and give the loop’s players a pep talk.

“He was a perfectionist and he always wanted the kids to understand that it was an honor to play All Stars for Mid-Island Little League,’’ said Pleszewicz. ”He always brought back some of his players from the ‘64 team and they’d wear their World Series jackets to try and get the kids inspired.’’

Following his death three years ago, Dan Yaccarino, a star pitcher on the ‘64 team, might have summed it up best when referring to Bill Rogers.

“Bill was a great man and a great leader,’’ said Yaccarino. ”He led a bunch of 12-year-old kids and made us into men in one summer.”