GRIC Youth Attend Phoenix Suns Basketball Camp

July 15, 2022

Kyle Knox

Managing Editor

Eleven GRIC youth attended the annual Phoenix Suns’ basketball camp June 20 to 24 at Williams Field High School in Gilbert, where they learned basketball fundamentals from seasoned trainers and coaches.

In all, 425 youth from around the Valley attended the camp that welcomed all players from every skill level to attend fun training and conditioning sessions every day. 

“I learned dribbling, passing, pivoting, and I liked playing with my team every day,” said Jace Escalante. 

“Everything was great,” said Keely Joaquin. “I learned how to pass and it was cool to see the [Phoenix Suns’] Gorilla.”

Mark Gretter, director of youth basketball programs for the Phoenix Suns, said, “We want to be good stewards of basketball in the state with all cities and tribal communities in the state.”

Before the COVID shutdown, Gretter mentioned that Gila River would typically send around 60 kids to the camps every year, so it was good to see some families bring their kids from GRIC.

Former ASU Basketball coach Bill Frieder serves as the Phoenix Suns’ basketball camps operator and organized the camps for the last 25 years. He has seen them grow over the years and admires the work everyone puts into the week. “Basketball is fun for everyone to play,” he said. “All you need is a ball and hoop, so here we just want the kids to have fun and learn how to shoot, run drills, and make new friends.”