(Youth1) â To be a phenom means to be born with a particular talent. Combine that talent with the determination to consistently improve your technique, raise your competitive level, and flat out refuse to be No. 2, and not many others will be much of an obstacle. When Joe Keller created an organization with this namesake, he was prepared to welcome players from across the country looking to obtain the coveted title of âphenomâ and for the past eight years, thousands of youth basketball players have taken that challenge at the largest basketball camp of the year. Come August 2nd until August 5th, San Diego, California will be flooded with potential hardwood âphenomsâ at the Jr. Phenom Camp.
Kellerâs organization runs some of the top, and most abundant, camps in the country. Over the next year, there are projected to be about 900 regional camps nationwide with thousands of boys and girls attending. In addition, Phenom will be taking its prestige across the world, as they are planning to run camps in 14 different countries.
In its 9th year, the Jr. Phenom Camp will be bringing in over 500 of the best youth ballers in the nation. This will begin nearly two months after the high school stars take the stage in the Phenom 150 Camp from June 28th to July 1st. The popularity of Phenom camps has allowed it to make some key changes to the format of Jr. Phenom, including an expansion that now incorporates 5th graders to participate in the coveted event. Quite possibly the largest and most significant addition to Jr. Phenom is the inclusion of girls to attend. For the first time ever, the Jr. Phenom camp will be giving the opportunity for the best female basketball players in the country to receive the national exposure that comes with attending this camp.
Of course, with inviting hundreds of the top players to Jr. Phenom comes the anticipation of some big names in the youth basketball world making an appearance. Two of Daytona Beach, Floridaâs best 6th graders in Tavian Durrett and Taybion Singleton certainly fit that category. These two players, known across Florida as âThe TnT Boys,â have recently exploded onto the national scene are looking to ignite in San Diego.
âI expect to finally get the chance to show my talents in a setting where there are the best 6th grade players in the country,â said Durrett. âThis is the opportunity that I've been waiting for since the age of four when I first started to play basketball. I have been to a lot of basketball camps but nothing like this.â
While Singleton shares the same competitive fire as his teammate, he also plans to go to San Diego with a message for the rest of the participants.
âWhat I expect to experience while competing is high level training, advance NBA and college workouts, and I expect to play against some of the best kids in the nation,â said Singleton. âI hope they are ready for me.â
One player who has already established himself on the youth basketball stage is the nationâs top 7th grade point guard, Oklahomaâs Caleb Nero. A veteran of the Jr. Phenom camps, Nero has used the experience as one of the main factors of his rising national exposure and expects this summer to be even better.
âThe overall experience of being in San Diego competing against some of the best Jr. High basketball players the country has to offer really excites me,â said the Tulsa native. âI also enjoy the disciplined environment where we are always doing something and there is very little idle time as we are there to learn, train then compete.â
Some other names expecting to join these athletes are North Carolinaâs 6th grade superstar Damon Harge, the top 7th grade power forward Paul Washington, and the energetic Chicago standout, point guard Chase Adams.
Phenomâs philosophy is evolving. Once focused solely on exposure and competition, Phenomâs management team is now also incorporating everything necessary to enhance and improve the growth and development of every player. This shift has mandated greater education in areas such as basketball training, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, sports psychology, academic improvement, and understanding the college recruiting and admissions process. In addition to incorporating professionals in each of these areas, Phenom is also launching the âPhenom Advancement Programâ powered by SportsWorx. This is a complete online Athlete Education System focused on helping players become better students, athletes and people. Every player attending any Phenom camp in the nation will receive a free one year membership. Now, instead of just attending a weekend camp event, the Phenom Community (i.e. Phenom Friends, Phenom America Fan Page, Twitter, etc.) will provide players and their parents with year round access to the information, tools and resources necessary to reach their full potential as a student-athlete.
The Jr. Phenom Camp is where future superstars are not only recognized, they are developed. Three daysâ worth of hard work and competition will be displayed amongst the best that the nation has to offer on the youth sports level. This is the opportunity each athlete trains for, and in August they will be put in the recruiting spotlight hoping to come out of San Diego on everyoneâs radar.
Tune in to youth1.com after the camp to check out a detailed recap of the event. For more information, contact Phenom at [email protected] or visit their website at phenomamerica.com.
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