Faulkner hosts NJCAA Live Period Team Camp

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - For the first time in almost 400 days, NCAA coaches from across the country were able to get in the gym and watch some guys hoop.

And they did it right here in the Capital City.

Faulkner University was the home of the NJCAA Live Period Team Camp; a junior college showcase that allowed JUCO players to potentially be scouted.

“We’ve got 24 junior colleges here playing in front of almost 200 four-year coaches for an opportunity to continue their basketball careers,” said Faulkner assistant basketball coach Drew Wilson. “They started it two years ago when the NCAA restructured their basketball recruiting. They’ve allowed them to play with their teams in the summer time and with their coaches that are going to coach them. So it’s an opportunity for the coaches to coach them; the players to play and get seen by possibly their next stop.”

Wilson, who is also one of the event coordinators, partnered with Shelton College to bring the tournament to Montgomery, which he says gives the River Region a major boost.

“I think it’s great exposure for our university, for the city of Montgomery,” said Wilson. “We’ve got teams from Iowa, Illinois, Florida; we’ve got all kinds of people here, and some that have never been to the City of Montgomery at all and definitely never been to Faulkner University, so it’s a great deal for those people to see something new and see the city and maybe come back and visit later.”

The main focus, though, was to give these basketball players an opportunity to make their dreams come true on the courts.

“Oh, it’s unbelievable,” said Wilson. “You’ll see a lot of these players get scholarship offers - life-changing scholarship offers here and some schools will see some players that they probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise.”

The showcase wrapped up on Saturday evening.

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