This year’s camp was a great week of skill-building, teamwork, networking and growth for all involved. A special thank you for expert instruction from Coach Robb Taylor, Head Coach of Auburn University’s Adapted Athletics Basketball Team, as well as the 2024 Gold Medal Paralympic Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team, and Auburn University’s Assistant Adapted Basketball Coach Sophia Livaudais — as well as a thank you to each of our AdaptED Sports’ League Coaches for assisting with the drills and helping keep the pace over the two days!
We were proud to have athletes and coaches involved from the following wheelchair basketball teams from the AAASP AdaptED Sports League, including: Clarke Classic City Dawgs, Clayton Eagles, Georgia Storm, Gwinnett Heat, Houston Sharks, Muscogee Lions, West Georgia Wolverines and the Peach Rolling Trojans.
On the evening before camp kicked off, 15 coaches and assistant coaches gathered for a special Coaches’ Dinner at Three Dollar Cafe in McDonough for an opportunity to meet and learn from Coach Taylor and Coach Livaudais.
The two-day camp focused on key aspects of the game, including: chair skills, shooting and ball handling, defensive and offensive transition, and leadership development, with an emphasis on bringing lessons back to their teams. The energy was electric — especially during some of the fun games — “sharks and minnows” (working chair skills and moving without the ball), and defensive keep-away drills.
This year’s camp was made possible thanks to the generous support of the following partners: Clayton County Public Schools for providing access to their outstanding facilities at the Instructional Center / Eagles’ Nest, and BSN Sports, who donated water bottles and lanyards for all campers. Also, a very special thank you to Varsity Spirit for “branding” our camp this year!
A highlight of camp included a collegiate signing on Thursday after lunch for Gwinnett Heat’s own Jeremiah Hopson, who will be going to play Wheelchair Basketball at the collegiate level at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) in the Fall.
AAASP would like to extend a special thank you to Coach Robb Taylor, Assistant Coach Sophia Livaudais, Clayton County Public Schools’ administrators including Dr. Anthony W. Smith, Superintendent; Trina Smith, Director of Special Education; Dr. Sheila Cook, Coordinator of Special Programs; Dwight Smalls, Coordinator of Behavioral Programs, and BSN Sports’ Dr. Alan Long and Zeke Sammons, and Varsity Spirit’s Andrew Bush for their incredible hospitality and support.
We cannot wait until YEAR THREE!
