Former Shockers come together to host free youth basketball camp at Wichita Hoops
Before Aubrey Sherrod was a star basketball player, he was just a kid from Wichita who was always looking for the next chance to play the game he loved.
Even after a career that saw him win MVP of the McDonald’s All-American game and become a fan favorite with his smooth shooting stroke at Wichita State, Sherrod never forgot his humble beginnings.
That’s the motivation for why Sherrod and fellow Shocker greats Xavier McDaniel and Cheese Johnson have teamed up with Jeff Hill to host their annual Future All-American youth basketball camp, which is free of charge this week at Wichita Hoops.
“My mother always told me, ‘If you ever have the opportunity to give back, do it any way you can,’” Sherrod said. “Growing up as kids, we all know how hard it was for us to get in and do a camp. So we felt like this is a great chance for us to give back now that we’re older and we’re in a position to give back.”
The trio of former Shockers have worked alongside Hill all year to secure the sponsorships necessary to ensure the campers and their families don’t have to spend a dime of their own money.
The camp, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, is free of charge. And while registration was available beforehand, they welcome any and all walk-ups. Each child will receive a free t-shirt, basketball, book bag full of school supplies and a trophy on the final day of the camp, thanks to donations and sponsors.
While basketball is what brings the children to the camp, the group of Shockers tries to open campers’ minds to more than the game.
“We try to stress more than just basketball,” Sherrod said. “We stress education. We bring in community leaders to speak to the kids. We’re going to teach the kids about basketball and have them go through drills and stations and play games in the afternoon. But we try to emphasize that they have other options in life and that’s near and dear to us to be able to help out in the community and give back.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
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