Former NBA star to host basketball camp in Maricopa

Former Phoenix Suns star Cedric Ceballos still has a desire to be involved with the game that has been so good to him. Ceballos, who will always be remembered for his blindfolded throw down in the 1995 NBA All Star slam-dunk contest, is bringing his NBA experience and basketball prowess to Maricopa this summer. Ceballos will host his iBall Kids Basketball Camp June 7-11 at Maricopa High School.

For Ceballos, who has been running camps for young players for more than 20 years, Maricopa is a “slam dunk.”

The popular NBA player had hoped to offer the camp in Maricopa last year, but was not able to coordinate a time. This year, the high school and Ceballos were able to make it work. The Maricopa High coaching staff will be working the camp as well. Varsity head coach Andy Branchik is excited to have such a great player impart his knowledge to current and future players.

“We would love to have a great turnout for the clinic,” Branchik said. “It should be an exciting time for the kids.” The clinic will feature games, drills, awards, basketball strength and conditioning training, and motivational speakers. The camp will also be a whole lot of fun, Ceballos said. According to Ceballos, every time he runs a camp, the attendees all get nicknames, and some of them stick.

“Most definitely, the most fun for me is giving the players nicknames.” Ceballos said. “If a kid looks like Michael Jordan, we may call him MJ; if a kid has a squeaky voice and sounds like SpongeBob Squarepants, then he’s SpongeBob. I get people who I see years later that come up to me, and I still remember their nicknames from camp.” 

Ceballos said the five-day camp is open for any athlete who wants to train and compete, regardless of whether they have played basketball or not.

“The camp is a basketball training camp,” Ceballos said. “I employ some of the stuff I learned playing in the NBA, how players prepare themselves, strength-wise, conditioning-wise, and physical-wise, as well as muscle memory — how to be able to shoot the ball correctly and having your body remember that all the time even when you’re tired and when you’re fresh.”

The age categories for the camp vary, as does the talent level. Ceballos says no matter how old a player is or what sport they play, this camp has a little something for everybody. “The ages go from 7 to 17,” he said. “It varies talent wise; some times there are great players and some times we get kids that have never even played basketball before, but their parents want them to get out and play with other kids and explore something different.”

“Most importantly what this does for a kid is give them independence working within a unit; we always match them up with groups, not just one on one but also the team basics, so they are ready for when they get older, and they will know how to play with others,” Ceballos said.

The camps schedule makes it easy for parents to drop off and pick up their children. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ceballos said parents can drop off their kids as early as 7 a.m. “We know parents have to go to work, so from 7 to 9 we will have little fun things like television and video games for them to do.” Ceballos said.” “Then camp starts at nine and ends at three.”

Ceballos also knows some parents just can’t get back from work at three. “Pickup is from 3 to 7 p.m., because obviously we know parents come home from work at different times so we are trying our best not to disrupt their day. They get lunch, they get snacks and have an opportunity to have fun during they day.”

The cost is $150 per camper. The camp is presented by Athletes4U in association with iBall Kids and Ceballos’s ME/WE Foundation.

If you go:

What: iBall Basketball Camp
When: June 7-11
Where: Maricopa High School, 45012 W. Honeycutt Ave.
Cost: $150
Information: E-mail [email protected] or visit athletes4U.com.

All about Ced

Cedric Ceballos, born Aug. 2,1969 in Maui. He graduated from Dominquez High School in Compton, Calif. He attended Ventura College and earned his first degree in two years, then moved to Cal State Fullerton University to get his second degree.

Ceballos was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1990 NBA with the 48 pick. He also played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets before retiring in 2001.

With his career behind him, Ceballos currently works for the Phoenix Suns doing game-time interviews and promotions. Some of his accomplishments in his 11-year professional career include:

•1990 set a NBA record for most points in the shortest time with 25 points in 8 minutes against the Denver Nuggets.
•1992 NBA Slam Dunk Champion with a perfect score of 50 with a blindfolded dunk that has never been duplicated.
• Led the NBA in field goal percentage with .576 in 1992-93 season.
• Scored a career high 50 points on Dec. 12, 1994 against Minnesota Timberwolves.
• Selected to the NBA All Star Team in 1995.
• 1996 NBA comeback player of the year.

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