LP_070518

30 | July 5, 2018 | The Lockport Legend sports
lockportlegend.com
NBA player returns to LTHS for two-day basketball camp
Holmes relishes
teaching children, teens
the fundamentals of
basketball
Randy Whalen
Freelance Reporter
Richaun Holmes always believed.
The 2011 Lockport Township
graduate was a shot-blocking specialist
as a senior on the basketball
court for the Porters, with 121
blocks for a 4.0 per game average,
and he also averaged 7.4 points and
6.4 boards per game, but he had no
college offers out of high school.
At that time, perhaps no one but
Holmes knew what was in store for
him down the road. He just completed
his third season as a forward
with the Philadelphia 76ers.
And last weekend, Holmes was
back home, as he held his second
annual basketball camp on Friday,
June 29, and Saturday, June 30, at
Lockport Township High School.
He held a single-day camp last year
at Romeoville High School and
also back in Philadelphia, but this
was the first time he got to put one
on at his high school alma mater.
So, a little more than seven years
after he last played on the court,
and a decade after starting out his
career as a Porter on the freshmen
“B” team, did Holmes ever believe
that him hosting a basketball camp
as an NBA player at the school was
possible?
Yes, he did.
“When I was here working, I
always thought I had a chance,”
Holmes said of playing pro basketball.
“Even when I was on the
freshman “B” team, I told myself
that. It was just a feeling I had.
Then ever since I played AAU ball
for coach [David Dortch] on the Illinois
Raptors, he helped teach me
that I had to work hard, and I knew
I could make it.
“It’s been great to come back
out here for the camp and work out
with the kids.”
The camp was open to boys and
girls ages 7 to 18. The opening day
went from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with
lunch and snacks included, along
with a picture with Holmes. The
second day was between 9 a.m. and
1 p.m. There were a few more in
attendance the first day, but in all,
it was a solid turnout.
Holmes still thinks enough of
Dortch that he has him help run the
camp. Dortch played in Chicago
at Providence St. Mel and later at
Steinmetz during his high school
career. He currently lives in Romeoville
and has been a coach with
the Illinois Raptors for 12 years.
“I love what I’m doing, and I
love the game,” Dortch said. “I
want to give back and help to make
sure that kids don’t miss out on opportunities.”
Holmes didn’t miss out on his.
“We have a saying with the Raptors,
‘If we don’t believe, we [eventually]
will,’” Dortch said. “I saw it
with Richaun from the early stages.
He never had his head down. He’s
just a hard worker. He never was
the best player on the team, but he
was the hardest worker, and hard
work pays off.”
Lockport basketball coach Brett
Hespell, who was an assistant
coach when Holmes played, agreed
wholeheartedly.
“It’s great to have him bring his
camp to Lockport,” Hespell said.
“The path he took to get where he
is tremendous. He’s had that drive
since freshman year, and it’s largely
due to his work ethic. It resonates
with our community that no
matter what, if you put your mind
to it, you can usually accomplish it.
“He believed it, and he went
after it. In the offseason, he still
comes back to Lockport two or
three times per month to work out.”
Out of high school, Holmes
played a season at Moraine Valley
Community College. He then
played three seasons at Bowling
Green before being drafted 37th
overall by the Sixers in the second
round of the 2015 NBA Draft.
Sure, being 6-foot-9 is a big
plus for Holmes, but it’s his work
ethic and commitment that got him
Former Porters basketball player Richaun Holmes (left), who now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA,
works with Derrien Porter at his two-day camp, which was held June 29 and 30 at LTHS’s East Campus.
Photos by Adam Jomant/22nd Century Media
where he is today.
“Whether he’s playing five minutes
or 20 minutes, he goes in and
makes an impact whenever he’s
needed,” said Pedro Power, his
agent of the past three seasons, who
was there helping with the camp.
“Richaun and I hit it off right away.
We’re both family-orientated.
“As a youth, he attended a lot of
the camps in the area, and he wanted
the kids to have these same opportunities.
He wants to give back
to the kids and the area. We work
on a lot of development, a lot of
skillsets at these camps. We stress
that you have to continue to work
on your own.”
Earlier in June, the 76ers exercised
the team options for Holmes
and backup point guard TJ Mc-
Connell for the 2018-2019 season.
The players will each earn a $1.6
million non-guaranteed salary next
season. They will become unrestricted
free agents after next season
if the Sixers don’t extend their
contracts. Holmes averaged 6.5
points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists
in 48 appearances, including two
Nojus Indrusaitis dribbles a basketball along with Richaun Holmes
while taking part in the camp.
starts this season, and saw limited
action in three of the Sixers’ 10
playoff games.
“You’ve got to prove yourself
every time you’re on the court,”
Holmes said of the NBA. “There’s
always somebody wanting to take
your spot.”
While Holmes will continue to
work for his role with the Sixers,
his focus last weekend was on being
back in the area for the camp.
“It’s just great to see the kids
play,” Holmes said. “For the kids
to come here is a chance to build
something. We start from the bottom
level and keep on growing to
get better.”
Just like he’s always done and
continues to do.