High School Sports Blog

Mason Kelley covers High School Sports for The Seattle Times. Sandy Ringer is also a frequent contributor to this blog.

July 28, 2010 at 2:36 PM

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Catching up with Nate Robinson at his basketball camp

Posted by Mason Kelley

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Mason Kelley / The Seattle Times

AP photo

As I spend more time around Seattle's NBA products I continue to be impressed with how much they give back to their community.

All summer there have been events around the city that have featured appearances from guys who used Seattle's basketball scene as their springboard to the next level.

One of those local products is Nate Robinson. The former Rainier Beach standout and current member of the Boston Celtics is putting on his yearly camp at the Mercer View Community Center on Mercer Island.

"They see you on TV," Robinson said. "They see you play basketball and they just want to get to know you for who you are. Besides the basketball, it's just kind of cool being around an NBA player and getting to see how he is with the kids and in that environment. That's just a big thing for me to come out here. It makes me feel much better as a person, just giving back and being here all day with them."

Robinson's camp has been running all week and he's there from just about start to finish 9 a.m.-4 p.m. He does more than put his name on the T-shirts (pictured to the right), he's out there with the kids, participating in drills and cracking jokes as he bounces around the gym with his high-energy personality. His goal is to show those who attend his camp that hard work is important, but so is being a kid and enjoying life.

"For me, it's big time," Robinson said of being involved. "That's the main reason to be involved. The kids, interacting with each and every one of them. It's kind of hard knowing names, so you give nicknames. It shows that you know them. The last three or four years I've been doing these camps, the kids are still here. I get to see them grow every year. They get taller and taller. It's just kind of cool."

Robinson learned about the value of basketball camps when he attended those put on by UW basketball coach Lorenzo Romar.

"I just told myself, when I do my camps, I'll be there from whenever it starts to when it ends."

High School Sports Blog

Catching up with Nate Robinson at his basketball camp

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