The face of the Pacers, Paul George, will soon be hanging out with kids and sharing some basketball knowledge at his inaugural basketball camp in the Indianapolis area. George’s camp will be held at Avon High School this Saturday and Sunday, July 12-13, from 2-5 p.m. Kids in grades 1-12 are all welcome.
George, a California native, has a camp back home in Los Angeles going for a few years now. But now he’s excited to bring one to Indy, where he has laid a lot of roots. He has a home, a long-term contract, and has become a fan favorite for what he’s been able to produce on the basketball court as well as his friendly personality.
“I thought it was perfect,” George said of finally having a camp in Indy. “I do my camp in L.A. every summer and I’m at the point where I’m trying to expand. A great way to do it is to start here as well as do it in L.A. — to bring the crowd out, to bring the kids out. At this point, I understand how big I am in the community out here so it was almost a no-brainer. It was going to happen eventually.”
During his press conference last September to announce the signing of a new five-year deal to remain with the Pacers, George spoke of how the community has embraced him and how much that meant. Back then, he had just moved into a home on Geist Reservoir and he noted how neighborhood kids were coming by with grapes. (If you didn’t know, PG loves him some grapes.)
“Just a matter of time,” George said. “I thought being in L.A. was a practice for us to understand how to run a camp so I’m excited to do it here.”
Instruction will come from area coaches and former players. Over 300 campers are expected — and it’s not too late to sign up. ProCamps, who’s putting on this camp as well as dozens of others for professional athletes, is working with local community partners to have select kids attend the camp for free.
As well as instruction, all campers will receive a camp t-shirt, a team photo with the Pacers’ star, and his autograph.
Most NBA players go home or travel around during their offseason. Pacers like George Hill, Chris Copeland, Solomon Hill and (free agent) Lance Stephenson, however, have mostly remained in town and been frequent visitors to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. George plans to talk to his teammates and see if he can get a few to show up.
“I’m going to try,” he said. “I understand with those guys, it’s going to be time constraining with what guys are doing. But I will reach out and see if any of the guys aren’t doing anything, if they can come out and lend a hand.”
So, what can kids expect of you, Paul?
“They’ll see me, for sure,” said George. “What I do at my camps in L.A., I’m almost there from the time that the campers are there to the time the parents are there to pick them up. I won’t be the one directly working them out and putting them through drills, but I will be there instructing, helping and when it’s time for breaks, just playing around and having fun with the kids.”
The camp costs $199. Use code “George2014” at signup to save $25.
[Photos by Cassy Athena]