12 June 2023
MANHATTAN, KS. (KSNT) – Jerome Tang and his staff has plenty of fun with some young K-State fans last week.
The Wildcats are also helping the community with a unique summer camp. Tang hosted an overnight parent-child camp. Both kids and their parents got to learn from the ‘Cats and get autographs. The campers learn drills and get coached by the K-State men’s basketball players and staff. The weekend is capped with parents versus players five-on-five.
“For these kids to see their dads play against the guys, it doesn’t matter if they make the shot or not,” Tang said. “They’re just out there, so moms and dads become super heroes to them. That’s what this thing’s all about. If kids will listen to parents and parents are the super heroes, we have a better community.”
The ‘Cats were taking it easy in the beginning, but the parents brought the heat. So, they did too.
“There were actually parents that could dunk on the 10-foot rim,” forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin said. “That was pretty cool to see. It was fun on the 5-on-5’s.”
The Wildcats are hosting these camps to thank the community.
“There’s so many people in our community and around that don’t get a chance to touch the guys,” Tang said. “This is a chance for them to get to know the new guys and touch them, and for our guys to give back to them and be able to say ‘Thank you.'”
In the background, the camps are helping the new and returning players get to know each other.
“This is a lot of fun; them playing together and working together,” Tang said. “It’s a way of building chemistry, but we recruited good people. I expect to hear the compliments I hear about them because we brought in the right guys.”
The players are having fun with it, too.
“As a little kid, you always want to be in the same camp with your parents,” center Jerrell Colbert said. “That’s what I wanted, so I think it was really fun.”
There’s one more Jerome Tang basketball camp from June 12-15 for campers entering grades 3-12.