Kevin Martin Hosts 5th Annual Basketball Camp

Former Zanesville Blue Devil and current Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Kevin Martin has returned to his old stomping grounds to host his 5th annual basketball camp.

“This camp is just one of my favorite weeks of the year because it shows how much involvement the community puts into myself and me into the community,” said Martin. “It’s a win-win for everybody. It’s an unbelievable relationship that we have.”

One hundred forty campers packed Winland Gymnasium on Tuesday for day two of the four-day camp.

“This is like his vacation,” said Kevin’s grandmother, Maxine. “He loves it. He loves the kids.”

And the kids love the 10-year NBA veteran right back.

“It’s amazing that he came here to teach us how to play basketball,” said a wide-eyed Emma Penn.

As for Martin, watching his campers grow and progress each year is just as rewarding as playing professional basketball.

“Five or six years ago (the campers) were young, and seeing them in junior high and high school now is probably my favorite part of it all,” he said with a laugh as chants of “Kev-in! Kev-in!” errupted in the background.

The camp is set to wrap up this Thursday.