LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Professional basketball player Martyce Kimbrough returned to Lima to give back to the community where his basketball journey began by hosting his eighth annual youth basketball camp.
The Lima Central Catholic and University of Findlay graduate welcomed about 130 students, ranging from elementary through junior high school, for three days of skill development, drills and live game play designed to improve their abilities on the court.
Kimbrough said the camp is about much more than basketball, using the sport to teach life skills that will benefit participants long after the final whistle.
“In my opinion, I think basketball is a sport that can really help you throughout life. It helps you have to work with work with people, whether that's at school or during a job. It helps you have to communicate, work hard. Sometimes you have to show up early, you might have to stay late. So, we just use basketball to try to give back to the community and teach these kids lessons that are going to not only help them in sports, but also just throughout life,” says Martyce Kimbrough, former LCC & U of Findlay player.
Kimbrough is coming off a championship season with his team in Poland's professional basketball league, where he led the league in 3-pointers made. He said his own competitive drive began by attending basketball camps when he was the same age as many of the students coming to his camp.
“For speaking from myself, something I learned going to camp was just competing. No matter if there were players that were better than me there or whatever the case may be, even when I played up with the older players, for me it was always important to compete. That's an easy way to build confidence. You'll figure out what you're good at, you'll figure out your weaknesses, and take those things and work on them,” adds Kimbrough.
This year marked the eighth annual basketball camp hosted by Kimbrough, continuing his commitment to mentoring young athletes and giving back to the Lima community.
