Basketball Smiles

We are thankful that God has allowed us to embark on a 25 year legacy. This is a mile marker of trusting the process, having faith in the Lord, and certainly the support of you, the donors. With your support you have made this simply a success. The children of Nassau are thankful to each and everyone of you. From Sam and Sandy Nichols and the Basketball Smiles family, we thank you!

The Official Nassau Guardian Ltd. (1844) Rotary International Rotary East Nassau Atlantis Bahamas BMPRO

Big THANK YOU to Derek Speights for his unbelievable artistic work during our Basketball Smiles Camp! Anybody can point a camera and shoot, but it’s rare to find a videographer/photographer who can tell a story and paint a picture-Derek is a true artist who captures the heart and spirit of Basketball Smiles. When you view his daily recaps and his photos, you’ll see what I mean! We all appreciate you, brother!

I can't thank Basketball Smiles enough for the moments, love and opprotunity of a life time to help tell the story of Nassau children. Without what seems like the simple things in life like clean water, shoes, basic food and clothing these children STILL held their head up high, they persevered and they SMILED each and everyday of camp not having what we may take for granted. I am thankful to be apart of this ministry know as 🏀😃's

#

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/YoGhQgjU71PKeS5s/?mibextid=WC7FNe

I can't thank Basketball Smiles enough for the moments, love and opprotunity of a life time to help tell the story of Nassau children. Without what seems like the simple things in life like clean water, shoes, basic food and clothing these children STILL held their head up high, they persevered and they SMILED each and everyday of camp not having what we may take for granted. I am thankful to be apart of this ministry know as 🏀😃's

#

Nassau Basketball Smiles Camp pics recap.
Rotary East Nassau The Official Nassau Guardian Ltd. (1844)

Day 2 recap camp photos

Bringing a week of smiles and hope through basketball 🏀 serving the Bahamian youth since 1999

Less than a week away from Basketball Smiles 25th Anniversary Camp!! FREE Elite Skills camp for Junior High and High School players Monday, June 17 - Wednesday, June 19 at Sir Kendal Isaacs National Gym Nassau, Bahamas! 🇧🇸

Girls Camp 9am-12am *Registration 8:30am
Boys Camp 1pm-4pm *Registration 12:30pm

Please note: Campers and their Parents only allowed at camp, no unsupervised dropped off children.

Throughout the years Rotary Club Nassau Sunrise and Rotary Club East Nassau have been an integral part of Basketball Smiles -- helping us with registration, to behind the scenes water and food deliveries, to financially contributing towards the betterment of the Bahamian youth we serve. We are so thankful for their support, helping hands, and for being such a huge part of our Basketball Smiles family!

Rotary East Nassau
Rotary International

We're so pumped to be heading back to Nassau for our Basketball Smiles 25th Anniversary Camp June 17-20!! Ready to bring our elite skills camp to junior high and high school students and big shoutout thank you to Bounce and the entire Atlantis Bahamas team for being part of the Basketball Smiles family!!
🏀 🇧🇸 ☀️

20 days away from Basketball Smiles 25th Anniversary Camp -- will be SO GOOD to see the bright smiling faces of our Campers!!! June 17-19 - this intense three day elite skills camp is for serious minded Jr. High and High School basketball players at the Sir Kendal Isaacs National Gym.

Camp Schedule: Monday-Wednesday June 17-19
Girls Camp 9:00am-12:00pm Registration at 8:30am
Boys Camp 1:00pm-4:00pm Registration at 12:30pm

*To provide a quality camp experience, size will be limited!
*For safety concerns, no unsupervised children will be allowed at Camp

Fundraiser Alert‼️ We're a few short weeks away from our 25th Anniversary Camp!

We have 10 limited edition commemorative anniversary Basketball Smiles basketballs for donations of $250+. Shipping included!

Link to donate via PayPal and Venmo at www.basketballsmiles.org/donate

2024 Camp Coach Spotlight: I am Coach Kyle Williams, and this will be my 4th year coaching with Basketball Smiles. Basketball has always been a huge part of my life growing up. Outside of just being competitive and wanting to win, it has taught me so many other life lessons that I still use today! After playing collegiate basketball, I still had a passion for the game, and I wanted to invest that in the youth. I trained and coached with Genesis Athletics, YMCA, and eventually worked my way into AAU boys & girls basketball. I have been blessed to coach and train numerous young boys and girls that are playing college basketball as we speak! There is no better feeling than seeing a kid put everything that you have taught them and poured into them together and be successful! The biggest part of coaching that I enjoy is mentoring and relationship building. I not only build basketball skills, but I also try and build character! After the ball stops bouncing for them, they still need to know how to be humble, a great teammate, leadership skills, etc. These are skills that they will use in their everyday lives, not just on the basketball court. These kids will eventually grow up to operate and own businesses, run their family households, or coach their own teams!

Basketball Smiles means so much to me because I get to be a part of another family! A family of coaches that have the same love and passion for coaching and mentoring the youth as I do. There is nothing like seeing my Basketball Smiles Fam all on the court together building not just basketball skills but building relationships with these kids. The amazing feeling I get walking into these inner-city camps and seeing the kids I trained the year prior is incredible. For them to remember me and be genuinely excited to see me is incredible. I even have some that contact me after we leave camp! Hearing the humbling stories from them and how some of them haven’t eaten a meal in days, or don’t have shoes to play in, or just enjoy being at camp because it’s a safe place to be makes you want to pour into them even more. As much as I build them up, they build me up even more and give me a true reminder of why I enjoy coaching & mentoring. I love being a part of Basketball Smiles!

My philosophy is to develop your athlete to play basketball past high school and build their love and passion for this beautiful game. At the same time to mentor and help your athlete grow and be an amazing person outside of the court. I build & grow basketball skill development and IQ by challenging kids and helping them push past “comfortable”. What moves me is watching young players bond together and tap into the magic that arises when they focus with their heart and soul on something greater than themselves. We WIN and we LEARN! We never LOSE. The team is ALWAYS bigger than the individual. My Basketball Smiles Family will always put your kids first and pour into them to help them reach their potential, grow their love for the game of basketball and always compete at a high level while also playing the game the right way.

My current condition is not my conclusion!

For the youth we serve it's about so much more than basketball - it's life skills coaching and supporting values of discipline and self-worth to carry over into day to day life.

Huge THANK YOU to our friends and major Basketball Smiles supporters at F3 Printing for designing and printing these awesome neon shirts for our campers in support of our 25th Anniversary!!

2024 Camp Coach Spotlight: I am Coach Renee Williams. This is my 4th year with Basketball Smiles. Early on in life I knew I wanted to serve and help others. Along the way I developed a passion for basketball. God has utilized me and both of those attributes in making a difference in many lives. The love for children, genuine compassion and the love of basketball is what drives my desire and calling to be apart of this amazing organization!!!

I have coached youth sports since my high school days back in the 90s including little dribblers, youth soccer, coached my own son in youth basketball (he’s now 26!). I’ve been blessed to coach AAU girls basketball along my husband’s side for the past 10 years!! We’ve coached many young ladies who are now playing at the collegiate level. With most of our former players now graduated, we are on our second round of young ladies, now 4-5th graders. We dedicate our time, knowledge, love and compassion to them and hope to instill many qualities in their game and in their lives.

My coaching philosophy is to encourage and push young athletes past their own level of confidence to do extra ordinary things they did not believe they were capable of doing. This includes instilling self-confidence, self-worth, effective communication, developing both physically and mentally while progressively advancing fundamental skill, enhancing game IQ as they mature as a player/individual.

“WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER!” As a coach I’ve observed complete chaos on the court…especially in youth sports! Simplicity can help you win and avoid unnecessary chaos! This can carry over to most areas of life!

I take pride in teaching qualities such as leadership, discipline, determination, hard work, teamwork, constructive criticism while being an encourager and builder to yourself, your teammates and those around you. Being a “unit” is important as all roles are equally important when it comes team sports. These qualities help transform young athletes into great spouses, parents, employees, coworkers, professional leaders, etc.

I strive to be the coach that makes a positive difference in someone’s life, who will be remembered as that coach who pushed them beyond their unknown potential and exemplified love through the growth process.

- Coach Renee Williams
Renee Graham Williams

“After over 40 years of basketball camp experience, I’ve found that a fast-paced camp with three days of high intensity, quality instruction is the most efficient way to conduct a basketball camp. We are so excited about our historic 25th Anniversary Celebration Camp and to offer an Elite Skills Development Camp to serious basketball players in The Bahamas." - Coach Sam Nichols

As always, Coach Nichols’ itinerary will be coordinated by Coach Patty Johnson of H.O. Nash Jr. High.

Camp Schedule: Monday-Wednesday June 17-19
Girls Camp 9:00am-12:00pm Registration at 8:30am
Boys Camp 1:00pm-4:00pm Registration at 12:30pm

*To provide a quality camp experience, size will be limited!
*For safety concerns, no unsupervised children will be allowed at Camp.

Countdown to our 25th Anniversary Basketball Smiles Camp is on!! June 17-19 - this intense three day elite skills camp is for serious minded Jr. High and High School basketball players -- Nassau, Bahamas at the Kendal Isaacs National Gym.

Camp Schedule: Monday-Wednesday June 17-19
Girls Camp 9:00am-12:00pm Registration at 8:30am
Boys Camp 1:00pm-4:00pm Registration at 12:30pm

*To provide a quality camp experience, size will be limited!
*For safety concerns, no unsupervised children will be allowed at Camp

2024 Camp Coach Spotlight: Chris Burrow has been coaching numerous junior high and high school sports since 1999. He has coached both boys and girls basketball, and was the varsity boys head coach at El Campo High School for one year. Coach Burrow has also coached many other sports at the high school level, including volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis, and baseball. Coach Burrow is currently the girls assistant basketball coach at Boling High School with Coach Jonathan Gibson.

In addition to coaching, Chris also officiated High School basketball in the state of Texas from 1995-2014, and officiated several playoff games, including two Regional semi-finals and two Regional finals games in Abeline in 2010 and 2011.

Coach Gibson asked if I was interested in joining the Basketball Smiles group last year in 2023, and I am glad I did! What a great experience to come together with a great coaching staff helping the youth of Nassau. When the opportunity came up again this year, there was no hesitation that he would do it again.

Chris and his wife Tanya of 27 years have four children and one grandson. Tanya has always been very supportive of Chris throughout his coaching career. Chris enjoys working with youth at all levels in all sports, and feels that Basketball Smiles will be another opportunity to make a difference in the lives of youth.

"I coach because I like to make a difference. It is not always the rules, skills, and competition that is taught during the time coaching a sport, but many times it is being that role model or adult figure for the student that makes all the difference. Sure, it is great to be the best player and to be a part of a winning team, but most importantly, it is our job to help foster a sense of belonging and social skills to make our kids better people." - Coach Burrows

“What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player” – John Wooden

Heartfelt thank you KTAB 4u for sharing this interview with viewers and fans featuring Basketball Smiles President and Founder Sam Nichols!!

Basketball Smiles preparing for 25th Anniversary camp in June Since 1999 Basketball Smiles has helped junior and high school aged children in at-risk areas of The Bahamas gain self-esteem and leadership skills through free basketball camps and life-skills pro…

We're 2 months away from our 25th Anniversary Basketball Smiles Camp!! This year we're bringing an elite skills camp for serious minded Jr. High and High School basketball players -- June 17-21, 2024 Nassau, Bahamas.

**NO CHILD EVER PAYS and camper spots are limited!**

We need your help! Did you know it costs us an average of $350 per child to bring Basketball Smiles to them? To keep Basketball Smiles FREE we depend on donations, prayers, and support from our communities. Join the Basketball Smiles Family and give today 🔝 link in bio!

Basketball Smiles is eager to bring our 25th Anniversary camp to Nassau June 17-20, 2024! In celebration of this milestone we are offering an elite skills camp for Jr. High and High School players only who are looking to elevate their game. Registration details coming soon!
🇧🇸

2024 Camp Coach Spotlight: Jonathan is making his 8th trip with Basketball Smiles and is the Camp Director for Basketball Smiles.

He is the Head Girls Basketball, Head Cross Country and Head Tennis Coach at Boling HS in Boling, TX. At Camp, he makes daily coaches' assignments and keeps things running smoothly. Jonathan has to balance instruction, daily competition, and fun drills so the campers have a rich camp experience. Jonathan is a wildly successful Girls' Basketball Coach at Boling High School and has filled up trophy cases and re-written the record books wherever he has coached. Jonathan and his wife Kristi have two beautiful girls Kenzi and Kenna who are outstanding athletes in their own right. We really appreciate Kristi and the girls loaning us Jonathan for one week per year!

Jonathan loves our campers and his style of intense, no-nonsense leadership is just what our campers need. Jonathan, in his own words: " I've grown to love the sport of basketball and everything it entails from teaching the youngest of players how to dribble to helping seniors sign to play at the next level. The ebbs and flows of a game, the ups and downs of a season, the joys of winning and the agony of defeat, are a lot like life. Ultimately one of the biggest lessons that the game teaches is to never give up and that you get out what you put in. Basketball is my passion but coaching basketball goes far beyond the game. I hope to always continue to be a student of the game, coach from the heart, lead by example and make an impact on the athletes I get to coach."
Jonathan Gibson

Favorite Quotes:
"The most important thing is to try and inspire people, so that they can be great in whatever they want to do" - Kobe Bryant
"Fall down 7 times, Get up 8" - Japanese Proverb

That smile says so much!!! We can't wait to be back in The Bahamas -- the camper energy is contagious and we're fired up to be back in their presence!! This year's 25th Anniversary is for Jr. High and High School serious minded players who are ready to level up their skills game. Bring. It. On!

Camp dates June 17-20, 2024 -- more info www.basketballsmiles.org