Back in the early 2000s, Michael Young was one of Greenville’s best and brightest prep basketball stars.
His athleticism and grace on the court was nothing compared to the support he received off the court. With mentors like his former coach Curtis Stovall, Kenny Trader and Charles McKinnis, Young received the encouragement and guidance to impact the next generation.
“The 4th Annual MTL Basketball camp is made up of community members and former players who want to give back to the kids,” Young explained. “Investing in the kids keeps the community moving forward.”
As signified by the designs on the campers’ T shirts at the Hodding Carter Memorial YMCA on Sunday, MTL stands for More Than Life.
Basketball is a tool that Young uses through his nonprofit organization to impart knowledge and encourage the next generation to serve the youth.
Over the course of this two-day event, MTL not only taught kids ages 5-18 about dribbling, passing and rebounding but also serving, learning and giving.
“We had a charity event last night where we were able to provide scholarships to two of Greenville Weston’s student athletes- Danny Washington and Shemicahel Young,” he said. “We also had a basketball game where some of us old heads proved that we can still play. It was Greenville High versus TL Weston. They beat us by three points but we had fun.”
Former Greenville-Weston star point guard and semi pro player Mario Rhodes was one of the volunteers at the camp.
Rhodes graduated from Greenville -Weston in 2005.
“I still love this game,” Rhodes said. “And it’s a blessing to be able to teach to kids and share my love of basketball with them.”
Young is in the process of relocating from Georgia to Memphis. He plans to continue his camps annually in three different locations and will be back in Greenville later this year to expand the reach of MTL.
“We will do events around Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Young said. “There will be giveaways and prizes at each event.”
