The Elite Skills youth basketball training program in Bayside will host a member of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team this Friday.
On July 12, Lance Stephenson will be training alongside kids enrolled in the summer basketball camp. The event, which is sponsored by The Source Magazine, will take place at P.S. 18 in Bellerose. During the school year, students train at P.S. 213 in Bayside.
A Queens-based live artist and a DJ will also be present at Friday’s event, according to a program spokesperson.
Since the program’s inception in April 2014, students have had the chance to attend Brooklyn Nets games, play on professional courts and high-five NBA players. So naturally, getting a player to run drills with his students was “the next step,” according to the Elite Skills spokesman.
“We’ll set up the drills and he’ll work with the kids to amp up the energy and press upon basketball fundamentals,” he said.
Local artist Nicholai Khan, who hails from the Bayside area, is slated to create a live art piece of Stephenson while he’s working with the kids.
The training program began in 2014 and was born out of free lessons offered in Crocheron Park. After five months, an official training program was established at P.S. 213.
“Our program is all about quality but sadly, most are not,” said the spokesman. “Anyone can put some cones down [for a drill] but not everyone can teach.”
The coaches in the program teach students “from the ground up.” Students enrolled in the Elite Skills program learn how to perform techniques and the reasoning behind them, which the spokesman said is the key to successful learning.
In addition to training for school-aged children ages 3 to 17, Elite Skills also offers open gym hours for adults 18 and older.
The Lance Stephenson event will be on Friday, July 12 at P.S. 18 (86-35 235th Court). Those interested in registering for summer lessons at Elite Skills or to register for Lance Stephenson Day, visit eliteskills.org.
