Columbia College alumni give back to the community through basketball
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two former Cougar hoopers are influencing the next generation.
Seven years ago, Jackson Dubinski and Hank Mathews started the Elite Skills Camp to help train and develop youth basketball players from mid-Missouri.
Since graduating from Columbia College, both Dubinski and Mathews have stayed in the area while staying connected to the game, and hope to instill the same influence they had going to basketball camps while growing up.
"When we were younger, we went to a lot of camps, and we knew that it was a good way to stay connected with basketball in the area," said Dubinski.
"We wanted to do that here in Columbia because so many people in the community were so good to us in our time here," said Mathews. "We wanted to do something that kind of gave back."
Starting this camp for the youth hoopers in the area gives them a chance to build a foundation for many of those hoping to make their travel or high school teams in the winter. The pair want to ensure that these kids develop their fundamentals, and either lay a good base, or improve those skills they have since there is such a wide range of participants.
"When you're younger, when you're in grade school, you're all at different points. Some people have been playing longer, some are just starting," said Dubinski. "I think the main thing is you're just trying to start a good foundation that they can build off of as they get older and get into high school."
The experience that Mathews and Dubinski got together by playing at Columbia College didn't just make an impact while in school. It also influenced how they interact with other players and local families in the area years after they graduated.
"Our experience playing at ColumbiA College was one that has been really important in my life," said Mathews. "We had great camps that we did there, and we got to meet a lot of these people that come to our camp that are now parents of our campers, so there's just a lot of meaning behind it."
"It's a big community," said Dubinski. " A lot of people, and for me, it's a way for me to stay connected with them, with their parents, and with the community in general, and hopefully we're giving back and pushing the game forward."
Dubinski and Mathews are aiming to bring the camp back for another season next summer and continue their increasing influence on mid-Missouri basketball.
