Mar 23, 2018 2 min read

In an effort to improve and grow the game of basketball locally, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chartiers-Houston boys basketball coach Eugene Briggs have teamed up to bring a one-day clinic to the high school on Saturday, April 21.

“It makes basketball relevant,” said Briggs, who also took his team to practice at the Cavs’ facility and a game at Quicken Loans Arena this season.

“If a professional organization comes out and puts something like this on, it boosts the Washington area.”

Kendall Chones, the youth basketball development manager for the Cavs Academy – the proper name for the clinic – oversees the program held across Ohio and the western portions of New York and Pennsylvania. A former power forward and 1,000-point scorer at Colgate University, Chones played professional basketball in Europe and is one of the coaches for the program.

“The majority of our academy clinics are for all skill levels,” Chones said. “That’s what is great about it. It’s about getting kids who enjoy basketball out to learn and get better. We run identical drills and plays similar to our pro team but teach it to young kids.”

The cost of the three-hour clinic, which runs 9 a.m. to noon, is $95, and includes a custom Cavs Academy reversible jersey, a custom NBA game ball with a branded logo and a potential to win autographed items. Boys and girls, ages five to 17, are eligible for the clinic. The camp does take walk-ins or people can register at www.cavs.com/cavsacademy.

“(The Cavs) brought everything in house and we’re able to have a better quality program,” Chones said.

Last year, the basketball clinic held camps at Court Times Sports Center in Elizabeth and the Southpointe Courthouse.

“This is the first time we’ve had something at a school in Western Pennsylvania,” said Chones, whose father Jim played for the Cavaliers. “We feel very good about working with Eugene and his crew.”