Huddle up: Coach Latoya Brown talking with the campers

CAIRO– The second annual Latoya Brown CHS Basketball Camp was held this past weekend at Cairo High School.

The camp drew in kids from across Bainbridge, Thomasville and Tallahassee. Camp participants from kindergarten to 11th grade took part in stations focused on the fundamentals of basketball: passing, defense, layups, and pick-and-rolls.

The director of the camp is Latoya Brown–a former CHS standout who played her college career at Chipola College and Fresno State. Following her playing career, she got into coaching where she is now the head coach at Luella High School in Locust Grove, Ga. entering her 10th year.

“It’s always something I wanted to do, when Coach Robinson, Brandon, Luke and Coleman got together and we made it happen.” Said Brown.

Her and CHS Head Girls Basketball Coach Brandon Robinson were classmates at CHS and kept a close bond since graduation.

“We’re not just class, we are pretty much family, so you know. That was the easy part.”

The inaugural camp last year brought in about 60 kids and was seen as a success, as Brown expected a good turnout, knowing her hometown, “We (Luella) went to the state championship a few years ago and you looked around and it’s full of Cairo people.” She recounted, “Being from Cairo and being a Syrupmaker that’s just who we are.”

Brown and the camp received support from not just the community, but from Brown’s friends and former classmates in California, Texas, Atlanta and even from Michael Best, the voice of the Syrupmakers.

“There’s a lot of hands in the success of this camp.” Brown said.

The camp was backed by the same amount of sponsors as last year, and local sponsors, like Bentley’s provided meals. About 10 volunteers helped run drills and registration with people pitching in from the surrounding towns.

“I have some of the alumni, some of the previous coaches here, we have people that played at Thomasville High, one of the assistant coaches that help at Bainbridge High is helping as well.”

One of those volunteers happens to be Brown’s sister Ja-Courtney Jenkins, who was a star athlete at CHS in basketball and track. Who is now a member of the Luella coaching staff “I love pouring back into the youth.” Jenkins said.

Brown hosts a camp at Luella which inspired her to start one back at Cairo. 

“She started one in Luella years ago; they’ve been doing it a while and one day she was like, “Hey, I want to do a camp back in Cairo.””

Some of the campers from the previous year returned for this year’s camp. “Then we have kids that also returned so it’s good seeing those familiar faces from last year as well.” Jenkins said. 

Jenkins’ daughter also attends the camp and Brown is proud to bring her back to where her and her mom played: “It feels good to bring her back here where I played at.”

Brown’s niece aspires to play basketball as well, so there is a future Syrupmaid in the making.

On the final day of the camp, they gave away bikes, shoes, certificates for a free haircut among other items donated by the community.

“Just being able to give kids bikes, shoes, money, hairstyles, haircuts; it is just big with everybody in the community actually participating in it.” Said Brown

While only being two years in, the camp has definitely made an impact on the community, “One of the kids that won one of the bikes last year, his mom texted me and said how her son went out on his bike and other kids’ parents went out and bought bikes for them because they wanted to ride bikes.”

One thing is for certain, the community has wrapped its arms around the camp and centered around its true MVPs–the kids.