BYRON CENTER, Mich — The Grand Rapids Gold might be winning a lot of awards for what they do inside Van Andel Arena, but they might be making the biggest difference out here in the community.
“I think our product is basketball," said Gold Chief Operating Officer Trey Conner. "But being here in Grand Rapids and helping the community is our big initiative.”
From the looks of this gym. I think they are on the right track, and the NBA agrees – awarding the GR-based Denver Nuggets minor league affiliate Franchise of the Year, and team President Steve Jbara won Executive of the Year for the third year in a row. Titles that Conner knows the organization didn’t win alone.
“We won the award because of the support from Grand Rapids in West Michigan and the attendance, and we couldn't do anything without everybody around us,” said Trey.
That’s one of the reasons the Gold are here at this Byron Center gym for one of their Gold Academy camps.
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"We understand sports [are] the big motivator, but how can we teach life skills, right," Trey said. "Learning, you know, working with teammates and overcoming different things.”
Efforts that are not going unnoticed.
“You're learning something not just basketball, but outside of that, life skills also, learning to be disciplined, learning to work hard," one of the campers, Caius Bhagwatsingh told me. "Like you learn all that stuff through this camp, you know, which is different from just the sport of basketball.”
A sport I know all too well...
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