Over 30 area kids turned up in the Nomads Adventure Quest auditorium Monday morning to work on their basketball fundamentals and catch a glimpse of former UConn men’s star and current Houston Rocket Jeremy Lamb.
Lamb and the kids were part of a one-day, three-hour basketball clinic hosted by All Pro Sports.
“It’s great; I used to be in these clinics all the time when I was a kid,” said Lamb, who was the second-leading scorer on the 2011 UConn men’s basketball national champion team and the 12th pick in the 2012 NBA draft. “You learn to compete and get into shape and learn the skills to develop [into a better player].”
All of which is part of All Pro Sports mission, according to owner Tim Leahy.
“What we do at All Pro Sports is bring top-notch talent into these camps to bring a positive experience to different towns and different groups of kids,” said Leahy, noting that the kids probably weren’t going to be better basketball players when they finished with the clinic, but they would learn the drills necessary to continue to develop.
The clinic on Monday was run primarily by Jeremy Lamb’s father, Ronaldo Lamb, a motivational speaker and character coach who tours the country.
Ronaldo Lamb ran the kids through myriad dribbling and conditioning drills, periodically barking out positive messages to inspire his charges.
“Champions do daily what losers only do occasionally!” he exclaimed during one drill that required the campers to do pushups.
During another portion of the clinic, Ronaldo Lamb told the kids to go home and thank their parents for the things they provide for them.
The kids, for their part, said they got a lot out of the event, not to mention a kick out of meeting UConn basketball legend.
“I like that we learn better skills and improve our fundamentals,” said South Windsor resident Ben Flynn, a 13-year-old student at Timothy Edwards Middle School. “[Meeting Jeremy Lamb] shows hard work can take you where you want to be.”
Thirteen-year-old Hannah Silverman agreed.
“It’s fun; I like learning new skills and things you can work on at home,” she said.
The clinic wasn’t just for younger players. Several current and former members of the East Granby High boys basketball team, including Ryan Aeschliman and Tyler Aresenault, were on hand as well.
Leahy said that Monday’s clinic was the only one being conducted by Ronaldo Lamb at which Jeremy was participating as well. The schedules aligned just right, as Jeremy Lamb just completed the NBA Summer League session and is in Connecticut to play in the UConn alumni game this weekend.
Jeremy Lamb said that he will continue to work on his NBA game, which, he said, is more “wide-open.”
“It’s quicker and there’s a lot more one-on-one,” he said.
