Former NBA draftee hosts basketball camp for Kent youngsters

Ryan Richards has returned to Kent to give back to the county and be the mentor that wasn't available for him.

Transcript

00:00 Basketball is not a game for the faint-hearted. It's a fierce and spirited sport, and these

00:05 young ballers from all over Kent are proving just that. They're hitting the court at a

00:09 two-day basketball camp in Rochester, led by none other than the former NBA draftee

00:14 and Kent local, Ryan Richards.

00:17 Ryan, with his signature Richards Elite camps which he's taken across the world, aims

00:22 to give back to his hometown and be the mentor that he wished he had during his own journey

00:26 to stardom on the court.

00:28 In 2010, Richards had his shot at the NBA when he got drafted by the San Antonio Spurs,

00:34 but unfortunately a double shoulder surgery slashed his hopes of making it into the team.

00:39 Nevertheless, his career has since flourished, playing in numerous countries at the top levels.

00:44 In 2019, Richards first brought his camps to the UK and spoke to KMTV all about it,

00:49 so I asked if he's seen a change of attitude towards basketball in Kent since then.

00:54 "Covid. Covid affected a lot of things. I mean, I wanted to do a lot of camps and stuff.

00:58 I've done stuff in Japan, I've done stuff in America because I've been there for work

01:02 and seeing my family. But I think this is the start. Richards Elite is the start. We're

01:09 coming together. We've made great strides in the short time we've had. When they came

01:14 in I feel like they didn't know what to expect. I think they were nervous. I think they were

01:17 shy. But as we've kind of given them drills that are going to kind of get those juices

01:25 flowing and get their competitive nature flowing, everyone's just gone up. And every player,

01:30 every drill these kids have competed harder and harder and I can't ask for more than that."

01:33 In the US, basketball is one of the most popular sports to follow and watch. But here in the

01:38 UK, some surveys place it as low as 10th, way below the likes of football, cricket or

01:43 rugby. But these youngsters clearly show that there is a market, even here in Kent. So why

01:48 don't we see it quite as often on our screens?

01:51 "Well, the media exposure of basketball has never been strong. It's never had that kind

01:57 of, I would say, media appeal almost. But the recent events with the 777 investment

02:04 into the BBL, the British Basketball League, and that's only going to grow the interest

02:09 for the kids that are playing and hopefully in the future give them a pathway to play

02:15 in their own country as well."

02:16 And these youngsters have been proving their passion throughout the day. Like Summer, who's

02:21 been playing for just over a year. She told me that being one of the only girls at the

02:24 camp hasn't pushed her back, even against some of the expectations from the boys.

02:29 "Well, at first they thought I couldn't play very well until I beat most of them."

02:37 But for now, the hope is that by expanding accessibility for young players, the future

02:41 market for the sport can widen here in the UK and lead to a more prominent following

02:45 in the mainstream.

02:46 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.

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