Joey Payeur
There will be tall trees blooming outdoors in Big Grassy First Nation by the end of next month—and one tall individual with a historic hoops background trying to cultivate young and old basketball minds indoors.
Pegimagaabo School will host a two-day basketball ball camp being put on by former Duke Blue Devils’ star Christian Laettner on May 30-31.
Big Grassy resident and guide Randy Morrison put the plan in motion to bring the two-time NCAA champ and 13-year NBA veteran to the reserve for what almost surely will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those on hand.
“[Laettner] came out to the resort I guide at on Lake of the Woods, and he got me to take him and his two kids for a four-day tour last year,” Morrison said.
“They had themselves a heyday and we started texting back and forth after he left,” he added.
“He’s been requesting to have me take him fishing all this summer, so I asked him and he is really excited to come and do the camp.”
Laettner probably is most famous for his game-winning shot at the buzzer against the Kentucky Wildcats in the East Regional final of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, the same year he won the U.S. National College Player of the Year award.
He later was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, as well as the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” back in 1992.
The 45-year-old native of Angola, N.Y. remains one of the most polarizing figures in North American sports over the past 25 years, with his legions of passionate devotees counterbalanced by a wave of dissenters.
Laettner’s controversial persona even was documented earlier this year in an episode of ESPN’s “30 for 30” show, entitled simply “I Hate Christian Laettner.”
Morrison is grateful for the chance to bring someone of Laettner’s basketball talents to the remote reserve at the far end of Highway 621.
“I never had an opportunity to do something like this as a kid,” he noted.
“I think it will be great for the kids here.
“It’s going to mean a lot to them,” Morrison added. “It will show them there are opportunities out there for them to go into basketball.
“Lots of kids play basketball on the reserve but they don’t go anywhere with it,” he said.
Laettner also will be giving motivational speeches as part of the camp, which is open to youths aged six-18.
The children will be split into age groups ranging from six-10 (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each day), 11-13 (12:30-2 p.m.), and 14-18 (3 p.m.-4:30 p.m.)
Each day’s session will cost $40, with the price being $75 for those who commit to both days.
There also will be at least one adult session on May 31 from 9:30-10:45 a.m., with the possibility of another one a day earlier if there is enough interest.
Cost for the adult session is $50.
Those wanting more information or to register can text Morrison at 271-1281.
