Hoops on the Rez
Hoops on the Rez is a one week basketball camp, held on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, AZ. The mission of this camp is to use basketball as a tool to connect and minister the Apache teens to Jesus Christ.
AbOUT
The first annual “Hoops on the Rez” was held in July of 2004 and is still going strong. These basketball camps are put on by former college level players and current college coaches. The coaches and players have enjoyed working with the Apache youth throughout the years. Some of these instructors include, Coach Jake Deer, Coach Jon Everingham (of Indiana), Coach Brian Bechtel (of Indiana), and others from around the country. The camp mixes fun with basketball skills and drills. To make things entertaining, the camp holds five-on-five tournaments, one-on-one tournaments, they pick the camp MVP's, they contests, and the winners of these events win prizes. The prizes they receive include shirts, candy, CD's, backpacks, basketballs, and many other things. The camp also offers scholarships to those who can not afford to pay for the one week camp. About 50-60% of the campers attend the camp for free because their parent s are unable to pay the $15 registration fee. It nearly takes about $3000 to fund the camp. The camp is usually funded by generous support, both financially and through prayer. They also receive countless donations as well. Some of the camps expenses include gym rental, gas, van rental to drive the kids to and from the gym, prizes, camp t-shirts for the campers, and scholarships.
Purpose
The major purpose of "Hoops on the Rez" is to connect the Apache youth in the Reservation to Jesus Christ through basketball. The camp is very uplifting and rewarding for the kids that get excited about God and basketball. Hoops on the Rez helps the youth in the Reservation that come from broken homes where poverty, abuse (physical, [...], emotional), alcohol and [...] abuse are all common. This camps is sort of an outlet for these kids that go through tough situations in their life and a great opportunity for the kids to be more involved with the word of God. Over the past six years, Hoops on the Rez has continued to grow and impact more and more of the youth in the Apache Indian Reservation. The camp has been able to involve over 100 counselors and about over 600 campers.