ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Academy concluded their 2024 Jr. Hawks Summer Camps featuring more than 750 youths between the ages of eight to 14.
Throughout June and July, the Hawks visited five metro Atlanta locations, including Lady Ballers Summer Hoop Fest, powered by Google Cloud, Hawks team officials said.
“Over the summer, we hosted our annual Jr. Hawks Summer Camps presented by adidas for hundreds of campers, which in hand featured our Lady Ballers Summer Hoop Fest powered by Google Cloud,” said Chris Jacobs, Senior Director of Hawks Basketball Academy. “With these camps, we aim to provide a fun and memorable experience for every Jr. Hawks camper and help them gain life lessons such as teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, and collaboration.”
The youth participants received helpful advice, tips and instruction from Hawks Youth Basketball Development Coaches who focused on improving fundamental skills through individual and group skill training. The youths also participated in five-on-five gameplay.
Current Hawks point guard Kobe Bufkin and former Hawk guard Joe Johnson also interacted with the participants and offered tips and advice on developing basketball skills.
The Lady Ballers Summer Hoop Fest was specifically designed for young female athletes and powered by Google Cloud.
“We at Google Cloud were thrilled to collaborate with the Hawks over the summer during Lady Ballers week, bringing together sports and education for all the young girls,” said Vice President of Server Operations at Google Cloud, Felica Coney. “With the Lady Ballers program, we wanted to construct a program that provided a unique blend of educational and athletic learning, giving girls valuable insights into STEM in sports.”
The young female athletes participated in STEM activities, learned about the science behind a catapult basketball game, and were each gifted a swag bag, including Hawks and Google branded items, according to Hawks team officials.
Hawks Assistant Coach Brittni Donaldson and Hawks guard Garrison Mathews also spoke to the young basketball enthusiasts and offered valuable insights about hard work and dedication to improving everyday.
Attendees received a Hawks swag bag that included a full adidas uniform, basketball, sling bag, water bottle, and one ticket to an Atlanta Hawks game for the 2024-25 season.
Hawks team officials said Hawks’ partner and personal injury attorney Ken Nugent provided scholarships for campers through the Score for Scholarships program.
Since 2015, the Hawks Basketball Academy has impacted more than 10,000 youth through their Summer Camps Program across six counties throughout Metro Atlanta, according to Hawks team officials.
To learn more about camp opportunities and other youth basketball programs with the Hawks, visit HawksBasketballAcademy.com