Campus hosts Clippers basketball workshop

On Sunday, Nov. 8, the L.A. Clippers sponsored a basketball workshop held at Citrus College, for community members of ages 7 to17. Unfortunately, only two boys showed up for the event.

Citrus College has been hosting the L.A. Clippers Sunday basketball workshops since September and October. The workshops are intended to provide the community with more opportunity for basketball camps and workshops close to home led by professional trainers, instead of driving to Los Angeles to get such an opportunity.

Chris Acker, assistant coach/ director of player development for Citrus’ basketball team said attendance at such events has been consistently low in Glendora. Acker serves as Director/ California Region Trainer for the National Basketball Academy, as well as the Youth Director for the Clippers.

“Glendora happens to be the slowest place, and Sunday’s as well. This past summer only seven kids signed up for [the Clippers sponsored] summer camp” Chris Acker said. “We had other places where there were 200 to 300 kids showing up.”

Acker was in the gym training the only two children who had signed up, for an hour and a half instead of the schedule nine to 12 hours because of the lack of participants than came through.

Greg Peterson from Covina saw an ad in the San Gabriel Tribune for the “2009 L.A. Clippers Sunday Basketball Workshop” at Citrus and brought his son Tyler, 12, to gain skills from a professional trainer.

“You can’t get a much better quality coach than this guy [Acker]. He’s really good,” Peterson said.

Future Sunday basketball workshops run on Nov. 15 and 29, and on Dec. 6 and 13, from 9 a.m. to noon.

The cost per session is $35, and after four sessions the participant receives a Clippers game ticket.

“There aren’t many basketball programs out here. There are many players, but not much opportunity until now,” Acker said.

In December there will also be a Clippers Elite Basketball Clinic on Dec. 19 and 20, from 9 a.m. to noon.

The Elite Basketball Clinics cost more than the Sunday workshops, priced at $75, that includes both days, a Clippers game ticket, and a T-shirt.