By Naeisha Rose
The Royal Ivey Life and Basketball Skills Clinic will have its 10th anniversary Friday and Saturday at the Hollis Playground between 204th Street and Run DMC Grandmaster Jay Way on school grounds in St. Albans.
If it rains, the clinic will be moved to the Renaissance Middle School (IS 192).
The free skills clinic was created by former NBA star Royal Ivey, 35, through his Defending Your Dream Inc. non-profit. It is a two-day basketball camp meant to help boys and girls between the ages of 8 to 13 improve their skills on the court, according to Rod Ivey, Royal’s father, who is a page designer for Times Ledger Newspapers.
Parents can participate in the event if they want to school their kids in the art of basketball, according to the senior Ivey. Kids will acquire skills on the structure of basketball, learn exercises that don’t involve equipment or apparatuses, and compete with Game Over Inc. volunteers on the first day from 3:30 pm. to 6:30 p.m. Game Over is an organization where professional coaches lend their expertise to youths.
The Community Thru Hoops Basketball Tournament championship game for 12-and-up will be on Saturday the following day. After the competition there will be a school supply giveaway, and community resource site for health, nutrition, financial literacy and reading literacy for parents. Parents will also get swag bags, according to Rod Ivey. This portion of the event will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Local barbershops will be highlighted during the event, giving out books from the Barber Shop Books Program.
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
