Nearly 300 boys and girls, ages 6-16, attended the Dillon Brooks Youth Basketball Camp at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Saturday, Sept. 12.
The Phoenix Suns forward met the crowd of eager participants with an initial “stare-down,” before the action started.
Brooks recently returned from China, where he was training in kung fu and working with a UFC fighter. Brooks wanted to bring a community building event to the Phoenix area centered around mental wellness while also teaching kids about basketball.
“I want to teach about mental wellness,” Brooks said. “I think we have to teach the kids early that mental wellness is important, but we’ll also be teaching kids how to take care of their bodies, nutrition and how to stretch.”
Brooks, who averaged
a career-high 20.2 points a game in his first season with the Suns, recently signed a three-year $73 million dollar contract extension that would keep him in Phoenix until the 2029-30 season.
After a brief session with the media, Brooks immediately got to work with the kids on Saturday, setting up passes for them to drive into the lane and attempt lay-ups.
One of the camp’s instructors, Scott Nicholson, shared Brooks’ view on how the camps are important to the community.
“It brings the kids together,” Nicholson said. “Getting to teach them about basketball is great. These camps are big and with a star like Dillon, it just brings more people out.”
Trish Sinclair, the mother of two boys, couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring her kids to see one of their favorite players while also getting a chance to play the sport they love.
“It’s just really exciting,” Sinclair said. “The boys love the Suns, they love basketball and they love Dillon. So, when we heard about the camp we jumped on the chance, we got here early, the boys are happy and so am I.”
Training camp for the Suns begins Tuesday, Sept. 29, with the first preseason game on Oct. 5 at the Detroit Pistons. The regular season opens Oct. 21, at the Portland Trail Blazers.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns' Dillon Brooks says youth camp focuses on mental wellness, hoops
