Burleson Basketball Camp Teaches Hoops and Life Lessons

Each July, legendary basketball star and Avery County native Tommy Burleson, in conjunction with the Avery Parks and Recreation Department, hosts the annual Tommy Burleson Youth Basketball Camp. Boys and girls ranging from grades 3-12 spend five days at the camp learning fundamental skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting, and defense, but also acquire a wealth of knowledge from the former N.C. State University, U.S. Olympic basketball, and NBA standout.

This year the group of over 50 campers received an official camp t-shirt. Throughout the history of the camp, Burleson, as well as his special guests and camp counselors, teach campers moral truth in addition to basketball principles.

“It’s important to set an example as a role model, and we try to teach kids to be consistent in doing that,” Burleson has said regarding the camp. “We hope that with the kids who come back each year, we can teach them basketball fundamentals as well as the importance of being a positive role model and person of Christian character.”

Campers were treated to a special event at this past Friday morning’s camp session when Burleson’s former North Carolina State teammate David Thompson made his annual visit to the camp. Thompson, known as “Skywalker” during his Hall of Fame collegiate and professional basketball career, spent time speaking to the attentive group of campers, sharing with them his professional and specifically his personal highs and lows in his life from being a top professional draft pick and highly paid athlete to his past difficulties and eventual conquest over substance abuse. Thompson shared his Christian witness of how his morals guide his life today.

Thompson and Burleson formed one of the most devastating duos on the basketball court in collegiate history, culminating with an NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1974.

For the past two decades the pair team up again at the camp out of their love for the game of basketball and desire to share their talents, gifts, and experiences to help youngsters grow into productive players and citizens.

“We’re planting seeds with these kids, and it’s special to see those seeds grow over three or four years and play high school and college football or basketball,” Thompson remarked. “Not every boy and girl will grow to become a college or professional player at a high level, but here at camps like these we can impact those boys and girls to make good choices throughout their lives.”

This year’s camp featured a talented group of kids who was passionate about the game of basketball and was thrilled to learn from hoops legends. Campers learned fundamentals regarding defense, dribbling, passing, footwork, and shooting, just to name a few, and the group was impressive with their skills and ability to learn concepts throughout the camp.

“I was tickled with the players. A lot of them are skilled, and you can see that they have had parents or teachers or coaches working with them,” Burleson noted. “A number of kids have good jump shots and good jump-stop moves and play good hard defense. You can see that they enjoy the game.”