Jarnell Stokes back in Knoxville this week
Former Vol Jarnell Stokes is back in Knoxville this week conducing a two-day basketball camp. Stokes will be offering on-court skill instruction at the camp, but he’s hoping to send a message dwells on more than just basketball.
The camp will take place this weekend, July 28-29.
The Memphis native, who was drafted by the Utah Jazz and subsequently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2014, wants to stress to this week’s campers that while basketball is a worthwhile pastime, there’s a lot more to life outside of the gym.
“Obviously I want everyone to come to the camp, have a great time and hopefully learn something to improve their game, but I also want to make sure they get something else out of it,” Stokes said. “My big message outside of basketball is about literacy.
“I was like any other kid growing up, focusing on sports and kind of not paying as much attention to stuff outside of athletics. Through the experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have though I’ve learned that in order to be successful you’ve got to have life skills that go beyond basketball.”
Towards that end Stokes is partnering with Coaching for Literacy , a national organization that promotes literacy for your through sports.
The stated mission of the organization is, ‘Coaching for Literacy’s mission is to use the power of sports to raise awareness about the problem of illiteracy and support literacy programs nationwide.’
“They’re an organization with a lot of credibility and I was excited to have the chance to work with them and promote something that’s important to me,” Stokes said. “It’s something that I really believe in and I want to be able to share that with kids while at the same time hopefully giving them some tips that will help them on the court while we’re having a good time.”
Stokes still looks back on his time in Knoxville fondly.
He’s best remembered as a centerpiece of the 2013-14 team that made a run to the Sweet 16 where they lost in the final seconds to Michigan. That team snuck into the tournament as one of the ‘First Four’ participants in Dayton, Ohio before reeling off three straight wins.
“That was a special season and really, Tennessee was just a special place for me,” Stokes recalls.
He surprised many when he selected the Vols out of Memphis, graduating from high school early and enrolling in December.
Tennessee, then as now, hadn’t had a great deal of success in mining Memphis for basketball talent, and Stokes’ decision was controversial in some circles.
He found a fan base in Knoxville that was waiting to receive him with open arms, and still makes him feel at home in East Tennessee to this day.
“I love the Tennessee fans, they’ve been great to me from the time I got there as a freshman and I still feel welcomed there whenever I’m back,” Stokes said. “Ever since I was in school there I’ve thought about being able to come back and do something like this, so I’m excited about the camp and excited about seeing some familiar faces when I’m there.”
Stokes played for the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA Summer League this month and is currently evaluating what his next career move is going to be. He’s entertaining some lucrative overseas offers from China among other places while also fielding interest from several NBA franchises.
Interested participants can register for the camp by e-mailing jstokescamp@gmail.com or by calling 901-337-6257.