For the sixth year in a row, the Newton County Recreation Commission (NCRC) hosted the Jimmy Wright Memorial Basketball Camp this week at the Turner Lake Gym.

Directed by the NCRC Director Anthony Avery, the camp honors the late Jimmy Wright, a former educator and basketball coach who served the Newton County community from 1963 until his passing.

“He’s been very instrumental in a lot of kids’ lives in Newton County,” Avery said. “He’s been very special to me, and this is a way to honor him in naming the camp after him.”

Every summer since 2011, 30-35 boys and girls aged 6-13 years old register for the week-long camp. From 8 a.m. to noon, campers are immersed in the fundamentals of basketball, participating in basic drills that focus on passing, shooting, dribbling, defense and more.

The goal of the camp is not to turn the kids into professionals but to introduce them to the game of basketball at an early age.

“The goal is to give the younger kids a basic foundation of basketball,” Avery said. “We don’t go into serious detail, but it’s more about introducing the game to them and giving them the basics and pretty much having as much fun as we can have for the week that we’ve got.”

Through this camp, the legacy of the great Jimmy Wright lives on.