A local basketball camp is in the books as August wanes. It’s one where more than a dozen D.C.-area kids spent a few days getting hooping lessons from the “po-po.”
“When I first came to this camp, I was a little bit nervous, but the people and officers taught me how to shoot around and dribble,” said 11-year-old Ronelle Thomas Lewis, who took part in the four-day camp.
Sixth District Police officers with a love for the game, including Sgt. Taariq Cephas with D.C. police’s 6th District Community Outreach, ran the camp. Most of the youngsters taking part were from the District and some from Maryland.
“Some of us are former basketball players like myself. I played college basketball at Coppin State from 2011 to 2015,” Cephas told WTOP.
“I also coach women’s basketball as well as volunteer at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland,” Cephas added.
Participating officers passed along their knowledge of basketball starting points, such as “team-building, basic skills, ball handling, passing, shooting, how to share the ball,” Cephas said.
The camp was held at the Boys and Girls Club on Benning Road in Northeast D.C., and it wrapped up on Thursday.
“We’ve seen the kids get better over the days,” Cephas said. “We’ve seen kids’ confidence grow,” Cephas said.
But the second annual Police Athletic League Basketball Camp had another long-term goal: building trust.
“It bridges the gap between the community and the police. It lets the youth know that we’re here to help. We’re here to serve them,” Cephas said.
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