Jordan Farmar, a recent addition to the roster of the New Jersey Nets, is still hanging around Los Angeles and for a very good reason.
His third annual kids' basketball camp, Hoop Farm, will be in session next week August 16-19 on the campus of UCLA.
Unlike other hoop stars who host camps, Farmar will be in attendance each day and all day to coach, motivate and participate in the other activities featured during the week.
The former Laker who became an unrestricted free agent this summer, will take up residence in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area during the upcoming season, but Jordan Farmar will always call Los Angeles his home.
Having grown up in Van Nuys, he was a star at Taft High School and excelled at UCLA under Coach Ben Howland. In his sophomore year Farmar averaged 13.5 point and 5.1 assists, led the Bruins to their NCAA championship game and was named first team All Pac-10 performer.
After being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round as the 26th overall pick, he made the team and played for four years, earning two NBA Championship rings prior to signing with the Nets.
There are a couple of ways that Hoop Farm differs from other basketball camps. The first is the utilization of yoga in the daily schedule. The campers engage in a half-hour of yoga instruction prior to even touching a basketball.
The second is a daily guest speaker. Prior to lunch, a guest addresses the kids to emphasize the importance of integrating mind, body and spirit in sports and in life. The use of yoga makes sense in that kind of regime.
A typical daily schedule begins at 8:30 am with check-in, followed by yoga and morning basketball station drills. After the speaker and lunch, the campers engage in hoops games and competitions prior to departure time at 3:30.
Hoop Farm invites more than ten to fifteen college and pro basketball coaches and players to assist with the daily activities at the camp. Special guests this year are Luke Walton of the LA Lakers and Noelle Quinn of the LA Sparks.
For children who can't afford the entrance fee for the camp, the Jordan Farmar Foundation provides scholarships who want to attend.
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