We love our visits from Pro Athletes every summer. Last summer we welcomed Brooklyn Nets star Mason Plumlee--now part of the Portland Trailblazer organization. Mason was a star at Duke, and is a rising NBA big man with big potential. Over the last few seasons, we have featured NY Knicks stars Tim Hardaway Jr., Raymond Felton and Steve Novak on our courts! With Steve Novak, he came fresh off a season where he lead the NBA in 3-point shooting accuracy, and we learned what a skilled and determined pro this gentleman truly is. After being a first-round draft pick, he was cut by Houston and found himself at the very bottom of the hoops world in the "D" League. Most would have given up--but not this guy, whose comeback we all watched on TV or at MSG, and who earned a long term multi-million dollar contract. What a story of courage, determination and faith!! Our kids didn't know these stories before--but they do now.
In recent years we've had current NBA star and NCAA Men's Basketball Champion Kemba Walker of the Bobcats & the UConn Huskies! Kemba was voted MVP of his NCAA Tournament, lead his team to victory, and had what everyone considers to be one of the greatest runs in NCAA history. Also at Wah-Nee was the NBA's Jay Williams, a remarkable guy with skills that stunned and dazzled everyone. He ran drills & clinics and told us his story from the start, including awesome tales of his time with Coach K at Duke. Our kids also remember meeting Wilson Chandler, formerly of the New York Knicks and now a budding superstar with Denver.
All our players are gracious and patient with all our kids signing all autograph requests and taking pictures with everyone. It's a real treat to have such bright and engaging young star athletes join us at camp! Past summers have featured super people like David Lee, formerly of the Knicks, NFL Super Bowl Champ Barry Cofield of the NY Giants, 7 foot tall Nenad Krstic, then of the NJ Nets (see below!) and Mark Jackson from the Knicks! (After seeing Wah-Nee in action, Mark actually left his son at camp with us! Awesome!) We've also welcomed 7 footer and NBA Legend Darryl Dawkins to camp! Darryl was a funny, engaging man, who just loved kids & spent many DAYS with us--not hours! The kids loved goofing with Darryl--he will be missed at Wah-Nee as we note his passing all too soon. All our athletes are chosen because they're great role models who share uplifting stories that our kids take positive messages from. This is a special and important gift from Camp to our kids...and part of how we learn about life in so many important ways here!
We were also thrilled to welcome Jennie Finch, a remarkable woman considered the greatest women's softball player in U.S. history. Jennie signed autographs for everyone and put on a simply awesome pitching demonstration! She throws the equivalent of a 100 mph fastball, and seeing it live and up close was a genuine treat! To top it all off, she helped us to break Color War! What a spectacular day at camp! Past years have brought many greats from the NBA and NFL, a long time tradition at Wah-Nee going back to Earl Monroe, Truck Robinson, Dave Cowens, Nate Archibald, Brian Scalabrine and so many more...can you guess who will show up next summer?!!
