UNSCRIPTED: WALTER JORDAN’S 3rd Annual “Hoops & Standards” Basketball Camp Returns!

Unscripted By
Keith Edmonds FWIS Contributing Writer

“You have to be in control of your life and know who’s on your bus. There may be times that you have to let folks off of your bus if they’re not going in the same direction as you are, which can be tough, but important to your growth and maturity...”

Summer is here! So, for many of us that means school’s out, grills are being fired up, and here in our city it means Hoops, Hoops, and more HOOPS! Purdue University great Walter Jordan who as many of you know was a key figure in the success of Northrop High School’s winning the 1974 Indiana State Basketball Championship (single class) stopped by to lend his wisdom and expertise to over 100 youth in his 3rd Annual Hoops & Standards Camp at Northrop High School. In conjunction with this camp was the recognition of this being the 50th Anniversary of the Bruins winning the state championship! This remarkable team was led by the aforementioned Jordan, along with teammates Mike Muff, Maurice Drinks, and Tom Madden. Jordan then went on to have a successful All Big10 career at Purdue University as well as playing professionally in the NBA and in Europe. For the past 3 years his camps have become an integral part of his life and summers for the youth of Fort Wayne and serves as a “mission statement” for not only Jordan, but those members of his staff that work behind and within the scenes to promote the

camp as well.

In todays UNSCRIPTED, I sat and visited with Walter Jordan who has a “bigger than life” persona in our city as he shared what he credits HIS success to and how his faith has become dominant. He humbly mentions his mentors, the force behind all he does, and aspires to do, moving forward. When asked “Who is the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) or MVP (Most Valuable Player) in your life? Without hesitation, he will say “God, without question! He keeps me and has sustained me through my life’s victories and defeats, without him, there is no Walter!”

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this camp (held at Northrop High School) and being around all of the young people, boys and girls from 6th-11th grade who attended all or most of this 4-day camp. There was quality coaching, teaching, and plenty of life lessons to go around as area coaches and collegiate players stopped in to share their wisdom with these enthusiastic young people. As I listened to story after story, I couldn’t help but think, “ Wait a minute Walter, many have said you weren’t supposed to be here!” What they were referring to was in the last eight months (prior to this year’s camp) Jordan had a pair of major surgeries in quick succession, which could have prevented his coming to camp this year. First there was an open-heart surgical procedure, and the procedure was to deal with cancer in one of his kidneys! “I’m really a walking miracle, not only in a basketball sense and all of the remarkable things that basketball has done for me in high school, college, and professionally which allowed me to see the world, but also in a literal sense because didn’t think this camp was going to be possible this year,” Jordan said “My condition was so dire that during an early post-surgery visit with my cardiologist, the Doctor was surprised to see me! She said, “Mr. Jordan I’m just so happy to see you!” I said Doc what do you mean?” She said, “I didn’t expect to see you again. That’s how bad my situation was!” What so many of us don’t realize is that basketball is the “tool” that Jordan uses to bring kids in but what keeps them coming back is the life lessons that are continually being taught by those in attendance. Lessons such as “Work your butt off, don’t take short-cuts, and let your grind be your shine, are things that I witnessed and appreciated being shared.

Walter Jordan is evidence of “practicing what you preach” as he not only battles his own health (which he says is getting better daily) but battles for young people in partnering with them to help navigate the tough currents that life throws at them.

The marquee for this camp says that “It is a combination of basketball fundamentals as well as leadership skills designed to help campers improve on the court, while also striving to become leaders among their peers and in their communities off of the court.” I would say that this particular camp accomplished that and so much more! Walter, I’m proud of you my friend, mentor, brother and so much more. Your calling is greater than basketball, it’s a calling that is intimately shared with so many of us that support, respect, and admire you for all that you do for our city, and youth! Thank you!