Imagine having a basketball team, but no gym in which to practice consistently and hone your skills. This is the situation that Our Lady Help of Christians Academy, a small private school in Watkins, Colorado, finds itself in. A few years ago, the school, which has approximately 150 students ranging from Kindergarten through 12th Grade, formed a high school boys’ basketball team. While the team has had the opportunity to play against other private schools, without their own gym practice time has been difficult to come by.

BlueModus, as part of its ongoing program to give back to the community, decided to lend a hand. After this year’s season was over, BlueModus funded a basketball camp for the students of Our Lady Help of Christians Academy, with Earl Boykins of Boykins Basketball Academy. Earl is a successful former player in the NBA, and spent several years with the Denver Nuggets. At a height of 5’5”, he is renowned for being one of the shortest players to ever play in the league. He is currently the head basketball coach at Douglas County High School in Colorado.

With the donated funds, the high school boys’ team was able to rent a local gym and attend a “master class” camp with Earl. They worked on fundamental skills, strategy, and conditioning. One particular focus of the camp was to provide the players with solid offseason workout routines that could improve their skills and stamina for the following year. The camp was a blast for all the boys, as well as a memorable and exciting event where they could spend so much time with a basketball great such as Earl.

To find out more about Our Lady Help of Christians Academy, visit their website. To learn more about Boykins Basketball Academy, click here.