Nuggets players lead clinic at Aurora Central

photo by Heather L. Smith/The Aurora Sentinel

Anthony Carter had just finished a grueling, three-hour practice; the Denver Nuggets guard was ready to call it a day.

But then he saw the 150 Aurora Public Schools students gathered in the gym on Nov. 30 at Aurora Central High School.

Carter joined teammates Renaldo Balkman, Sheldon Williams and Arron Afflalo to work on basketball drills with 150 students from 17 K-12 APS schools across the district. The four players joined former Nuggets Mark Randall, Walter Davis and Ervin Johnson for the event, which rewarded students for academic excellence in attendance, citizenship and scholarship.

“Today was a pretty hard practice, really long. I was in a bad mood, I was sore,” Carter said between leading drills with the students. “But now, I’m around these kids and everything has just changed. For me, it’s a great feeling to come out and do something like this.”

For the sixth year in a row, the district’s Aurora Education Foundation and Kroenke Sports Enterprises teamed up to offer the workshop, an event that’s drawn players including Carmelo Anthony and Chris “Birdman” Andersen.

“This is a fun one for us,” said Doug Fulton, senior manager of fan development for Kroenke Sports Enterprises. “You can tell our players enjoy it ... These kids are rewarded for doing well in school. They’ve earned it. They’re not just randomly selected.”

Fulton said the roster of players who visit Central has shifted constantly since the program began six years ago.

“We try to rotate it. We try to get new players every year,” Fulton said. “We also try to get some different positions so we can teach the kids the fundamentals.”

According to AEA Executive Director Angela Thompson, the event has drawn more and more participation from schools across the district since it started.

“I think we’ve had a lot more interest in schools that have responded favorably to sending their kids here,” Thompson said. “It’s an honor for them to be here. We still are a cap at 150 ... It’s a wide range of why they come here. We allow them to pick those students for us; we’re just here to help bring the community part of it together as far as the foundation’s role.”

Part of that community component is involving parents from across the district, Thompson said. As the students worked on dribbling, shooting and rebounding on the Aurora Central court, parents watched from the stands, yelling occasional encouragements and snapping photos.

Cedric Smith watched as his daughter Tre’onna Smith, 10, worked through different drills. She’d been chosen for her academic achievements, he said — an accomplishment he tries to encourage in his own way as a parent.

“I do different activities,” Smith said. “I buy her different things if she does well.”

Practicing with the Denver Nuggets, he added, was a reward he couldn’t purchase.

Teachers chose Melvin Keliiholokai, 16, to participate in the clinic for a combination of academic and basketball skills. Keliiholokai, a player on Hinkley High School’s varsity basketball team, said he divides his attention and his passion between schoolwork and sports.

But his long-term goals are focused squarely on the court, he added. Keliiholokai hopes to play in the NBA after college; his ideal spot would be on his favorite team, the Denver Nuggets.

“That’s my passion. I love basketball. The Nuggets are my team ... Today was about meeting the players,” Keliiholokai said. “I wanted to ask how hard they had to work to get where they’re at right now.”