Coach Kay Using Basketball To Create A Social Change In Jamaica

MEDIA, Pa. -- First-year Penn State Brandywine men's basketball coach Ben Kay was busy during the month of August, not only on the recruiting trail, but in Jamaica, where he spent a week coaching at the PMBL Treasure Beach Youth Basketball Camp.

From August 14-18, the PMBL provided campers, who are under-served and underprivelaged youth ranging in age from 5-18, with transportation to and from camp, three meals per day and an assortment of gear. Now in its fifth year, Kay helped the camp fundraise over $30,000 which aided in purchasing 1,000 pairs of shoes, socks, jerseys, shorts, tank-tops and t-shirts for campers.

Kay, who is one of the camp's co-founders, worked alongside 50 coaches and NBA referee Mark Lindsay (a Delaware County native), teaching the fundamentals of basketball and some important life lessons to nearly 700 campers at the Treasure Beach Sports Park.

"This is my favorite week of the year. The kids in Treasure Beach, Jamaica are full of love, laughter and happiness and their great energy truly rubs off on the entire coaching staff," said Kay.

While the camp does feature work on fundamentals, games and motivational speakers, the week is about more than basketball. According to Kay, it is about working to accomplish different goals in a place where track and soccer, not basketball, rule the sports landscape.

"Basketball is more than just a game. It can be used to give back to a group of people to teach them the importance of teamwork and working as one unit to accomplish a common goal.  It is our job as coaches to use sports for social change and to bring together the "One Team, One Dream" motto to Jamaica. All of the coaches that come on this trip sacrifice their time, energy, and money and use sports for social change," added Kay.

For the first time this summer, camp counselors were joined by members of the Philadelphia Youth Basketball Organization. The young leaders from the Philadelphia area were given the opportunity to have a unique leadership experience by helping to run the camp.

Campers from the camp's first year continue to come back each August and Kay hopes that the PMBL Treasure Beach Youth Camp will continue to grow in the future as it has done each of the last five years.

PMBL Coach Spotlight - Coach Ben Kay from PMBL Treasure Beach Basketball on Vimeo.