Cuonzo Martin's camp not only helps kids learn the game, but it helps brand Tennessee basketball. Said Martin,"It's one of those deals, as a staff we brainstorm throughout the year. Just figuring out ways and scenarios to really enhance our profile to really reach out to the young guys in the state and we feel like the Statewide Hoops Tour would be the best way to get out there."
Martin also brought a few U-T players with him like Skylar McBee to help run the camp. Said Martin,"We count on our players to lead certain drills because those guys, they want to be coaches, they wanna be teachers, wanna be leaders, so we let those guys lead the drills and they will incorporate certain things as a staff. Said guard Skylar McBee,"It's fun interacting with the kids, you know, we get to interact with them and teach them the game of basketball and watch the have some fun, so it's always fun to be a part of this in the summer."
The most entertaining part of the camp is always the Q&A with the kids.
Said forward Kenny Hall,"They're always asking me to dunk and stuff like that, so it's all good."
Said Martin,"They always ask can you dunk the basketball, so I tell them that's never happened to me. They might ask Skylar McBee about his mustache, anything like that; it's always fun questions."
The Vols players will enjoy a unique camp of their own later this summer. They're going on an exhibition tour of Italy, starting August 5th. Said McBee,"It's a great experience, you know, it's one of those things where you might not ever get to do that again and if it wasn't for basketball, a lot of us on this team wouldn't be able to go do that and so it's a good experience and I think it will be very rewarding for everybody."
