Club Alumnus Gives Back at Basketball Camp

REDLANDS >> More than 20 Boys & Girls Club members attended a basketball camp courtesy of a former Riverside City College player. DaShaun Thomas, who runs DTermined Athletics, a youth basketball organization, offered Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside spots in the week-long camp at Get It Done Sports Arena in Corona. Thomas, 27, played basketball at the James R. Jordan Boys & Girls Club growing up on Chicago’s west side. “I would go to the gym and I didn’t have the greatest shoes, I didn’t have a great situation at home, I didn’t have food in my fridge,” Thomas said. “So now, I can be that blessing to other kids...I kind of owe my life to that.” The camp, which ran Monday through Friday, includes individual skills, basic drills, teamwork, combine-style activities and team play. All of the coaches are certified and licensed through USA Basketball, Thomas said. “Now, I’m actually preparing kids for the NBA — how sweet is that?” he said. “We have about five to 10 guys who have a shot and I’m fortunate enough to touch their lives at 9 years old.” Thomas said that if he does not give back to the community, “I’m doing the wrong thing.” “It’s me calling the Boys & Girls Club saying, ‘I have a camp that’s $180, can you guys bring 20 to 40 kids?’” he said. More than athletic skills, the camp – and the sport itself — communicates life principles, he said. “Basketball kept me off the streets, it showed me what success can be like, it taught me the importance of education,” Thomas said. “Respect, hard work, teamwork — it carried over into life. I didn’t make it to the pros, but I have the pro mentality.” Thomas grew up in a large family in an environment full of drugs and violence. When he was about 11, he began spending every day after school at Boys & Girls Club. “That Boys & Girls Club kept me out of a lot of trouble and it showed me a lot of life values,” he said. “Growing up, I didn’t have a lot. I was supposed to go to jail, I was supposed to get into other things, but I had mentors who showed me that they cared...now, the tables are turned.” Thomas played on travel teams and was a three-year high school varsity player. He played with future NBA players like Derrick Rose and Evan Turner. He went to Kentucky State University and transferred to Riverside City College in 2008. He was a co-captain on the team that won the California Community College Athletic Association state title in 2009. “I decided I wanted to train, I wanted to coach, I wanted to start giving back,” he said.