39th Tommy Burleson Basketball Camp welcomes record number of campers

NEWLAND — This year’s Tommy Burleson Basketball Camp turned out to be the largest one yet, drawing in 95 children across multiple states from July 18 to 22.

The camp takes place at the Avery County Parks & Recreation Department Rock Gym each year and is open to kids ages 9 to 14. Registration before the camp was $50, or $60 walk-up on the day of camp.

Burleson himself played basketball at Newland and Avery high schools, then as a collegiate national champion at North Carolina State University and professionally in the National Basketball Association, and for almost four decades now, he’s been hosting the camp to teach children the foundations of the game and to encourage them to maintain a close relationship with God.

“God’s just allowed it to come together,” Burleson said. “To me, that says it’s a good thing and that we’re being Christian role models, because if it wasn’t a good thing, I think God would put an end to it.”

Burleson uses the camp to encourage kids to do their homework, prioritize their education, respect each other and put God first, along with the basketball skills he teaches them.

The camp featured one Hall of Fame head coach and two National Players of the Year as guests. Phil Ford, a household name for basketball fans, was a guest at the camp. Ford played at UNC as one of the school’s all-time great performers and was an assistant coach of the 1993 Tar Heels national championship team. He played professionally for a number of years before stepped into a coaching role. Ford and Burleson took the time to sign the kids’ basketballs and T-shirts, both of which they received through participating in the camp.

A longtime special guest at the camp as a speaker is David Thompson, former teammate of Burleson’s at NC State with the 1974 Wolfpack team and top professional draft pick. Thompson, who earned the nickname “Skywalker” during his playing days due to his incredible leaping ability, shared his testimony at the camp and also went over drills to assist the young campers in honing their hoops skills.

“We have a lot of good talent out there,” Burleson said of this year’s record number of campers. “It’s about planting seeds. I see second generations, I had their mothers and fathers at camp, and it’s great to see them bringing their kids to get that same type of mentoring.”