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Former NBA player and current Utah Jazz coach Jason Terry brought his basketball experience to Kansas City this week for his Relentless Basketball and Mental Health Camp for boys and girls at Hickman Mills Middle School.
"There's no bigger confidence than the confidence you have in yourself," said Terry, who played in the NBA for 20 years for various teams.
Players ages 8-18 attended the camp. While basketball lessons differed based on age and skill, all participants were taught how important mental health is for athletes.
Those discussions were led by sports psychologist Dr. Kweku Smith, who returned to U.S. soil just two days before the camp after assisting Team USA in Paris for 20 days.
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"I'm very tired, but when I got the call from Hickman Middle School ... I said, 'I gotta come down here for the children,'" Smith said.
Smith said the first thing he taught campers was to have fun. Second, he focused on how to be your best and how to overcome when you can't be your best.
"Just to let them know, when you need help, even strong people ask for help," Smith said.
Fifth-grader Cambree has played basketball for three years and has big dreams.
![Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 8.29.49 PM.png](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0807dca/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1462x816+0+0/resize/1280x714!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6e%2Fa8%2F86d60ae945b9bb492fe03a99e1c8%2Fscreenshot-2024-08-10-at-8-29-49-pm.png)
"I want to be an NBA star," she said.
Cambree's mom, Chasha Walker, said the camp is important for the Hickman Mills community.
"It means a lot just to see all the young people come together, and it's something for them to do and get engaged in," Walker said.
In addition to dribbling and shooting drills, Cambree learned mental health tips, too.
"It's just a game, and you don't have to get mad," she said.
For Terry, the camp brought up memories from his childhood when he attended basketball camps.
"I was just one of the many that was impacted by it, and so now, my mission and purpose is to impact people and give them hope," Terry said.
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