Editorial: Learning hoops, and values

Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2006 | 7:23 a.m.

The spirit of giving back to the community is alive in Al Flangas and Ken Templeton, local residents who co-founded a free basketball camp for children aged 7-12. The camp takes place at the Lied Memorial Boys & Girls Club on Lindell Road, south of Sahara Avenue, and runs over five Saturdays in July and August.

Between 80 and 150 children are attending this summer, and there are plans to attract between 150 and 400 next summer. The program is funded entirely through private donations. The volunteer coaches include Greg Goorjian and H Waldman, each former high school and UNLV star players.

Profiled by Las Vegas Sun reporter Michael J. Mishak in a story published Monday, the camp features much more than basketball instruction. In fact, basketball drills are often put aside while the coaches and assistants teach the fundamentals of something more important - leading responsible lives.

"Some camps are about money and basketball," Templeton told Mishak. "We're using basketball as a tool, a mechanism to help these kids get off the streets and learn some life skills."

Children in this camp learn to listen, work and play as a team, and to be respectful of other people and their surroundings. Littering gets a lecture, as does being inattentive and fooling around when lessons are being taught. Yet the kids keep coming back, with one girl coming all the way from Moapa each day.

All involved with this camp are providing an invaluable community service, and we hope it continues to grow.