KMC children get experience of a lifetime

One hundred lucky children from the KMC got the experience of a lifetime during a basketball clinic hosted by the players and coaches from the University
of Connecticut and Michigan State Nov. 8 at the Ramstein Southside Fitness Center.

During the clinic, the children learned some basics in passing, dribbling and shooting as they rotated through different stations with the players.

“It’s what you play for; you play for these kinds of opportunities,” said Russell Byrd, a MSU Spartan guard. “On the court you want to play for championships, but you want to also teach people and invest in kids. You know, hopefully teach the next generation of young kids how to play.”

Not only did the players and coaches share some fundamentals but they also spent some quality time with the KMC youth.

“The kids came out with enthusiasm,” said UConn head coach Kevin Ollie. “They played hard, they dribbled, they passed, they shot, all of the fundamentals that we try to teach our guys on a day-to-day basis.”

After the lesson, the players from both teams autographed T-shirts for the children.

While here, the teams took a flight in a C-130J Super Hercules, toured the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility and visited some wounded warriors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center before playing in the Armed Forces Classic.