Atlanta Hawks forward Allen Crabbe III returned to Price High School to host a free two-day basketball camp for aspiring athletes in the South Los Angeles area.
Crabbe and his father worked to make the event be a success. The NBA player was pleased with how his event had an impact on the youth in the community.
“The kids look like they’re having a great time,” Crabbe said. “Me and my dad, we had a lot of conversations about just giving back to the community and having something for the kids in the community.”
The first day was for young participants ages 9-12 and the second day was for 13-15-year-olds. Participants went through drills on shooting, passing, ball handling, and low post moves. Crabbe wanted to enforce how the fundamentals are a key part of the game.
“We went over all types, mainly ball handling drills and shooting drills,” said Jai’yahne Henderson, 15. “I’m glad I got a chance to come.”
Crabbe guided the kids through one of his routine drills where he shoots the ball with one hand, starting from a very close range from the basket, backing up after successfully landing each shot. The exercise was something Crabbe learned to enhance his shooting ability, giving the kids a glimpse into his personal workout regimen.
“It’s pretty good, a pretty good experience,” St. Bernard student Cameron Butler said. “[The camp] told me how to shoot better with my form.”
New Price Knights boys basketball coach Chans Smyth enjoyed seeing an alum return and give back.
“He’s exposing them to his lifestyle, like what he went through,” Smyth said. “And letting them know when he was their age, he went through all the little things they went through and how he persevered through all of it.”
In the afternoon, the kids competed in a tournament. The winning team earned medals given out by Crabbe. The various coaches who aided in the camp made scouting reports of the kids, writing down their good qualities and attributes they need to improve on. The kids were given the scouting reports, along with a swag bag, at the end of the day.
“You get to learn new things, many things we didn’t know like his shooting form and … his confidence,” said Koury Sida, 14. “We boost our confidence being here.”
Darius Carr,14, looks up to Crabbe and camps like this help him improve as a basketball player.
“I want to be in the NBA,” Carr said. “It’s helpful to know how he got to the NBA, so I can take his notes.”
Crabbe was a star athlete at Price High School, becoming the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2010. As a junior, he helped the Price Knights win a CIF Southern Section division VI title. During his senior year, he won the CIF Southern Section division 4AA title and a CIF division 4 state championship. Crabbe noted that playing at a high level requires extra hours of practice and sacrifice.
“You can’t always be a part of the fun things that your friends and all of that they want to do,” he said. “You have to sacrifice the fun times to get in the gym and just put in the work so that you can perfect your craft and become the best that you can be.”
