CAIRO, Ga. (WTXL) - For Cairo grad Cliff Hammonds, sometimes the love from his hometown is still a little overwhelming.
"I'm here maybe a month out the year, month a half out the year, and every time I come back I have a lot of support," he said Friday on the final day of his annual Skillz Camp.
All that support, makes giving back easy. His Skillz Camp is seven years strong, and to see the kids faces every year makes it worth it.
"To actually have kids that were campers that are actually helping us out as coaches now, that's gratifying that a kid would go through the system as a camper and he wants to come back and now be a coach," said Hammonds.
"It's very cool when somebody can come back and they care about the community and give back and help them teach skills of basketball, the game that he loves," said second year camper Luke Clatto.
It's a game that's given Hammonds a lot, and it's a game that's also taught life lessons.
"When I first came here I learned he fundamentals of basketball and now right now we're learning about how to keep your attitude right in the game and play with your team," said Cedrick Brown, who's been coming to the camp for four years.
"I preach to the kids, this basketball thing doesn't stop," said Hammonds. "You have to do it not just these three days at camp, but you have to do it the whole year."
It's about more than hoops. For Hammonds, it's all about Cairo.
"I'm proud of what they're doing, and hopefully one day, we'll have a player from Cairo in the NBA," he smiled.
A player that'll feel that hometown love just like Hammonds.
