Even though she is off playing basketball more than 1,000 miles away for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, La Jolla Country Day (LJCD) School grad Candice Wiggins continues to impact the local community.
Last weekend she hosted a basketball camp at LJCD for local youngsters. According to LJCD head girls basketball coach Terri Bamford, some 50 kids attended the three-day event.
“The camp was a great success,” Bamford said. “We had a 5-to-1 player-to-coach ratio. The kids had an opportunity to work with Candice on their basketball fundamentals and she also spoke every day about the important factors to becoming successful.”
Wiggins talked about attitude and effort, the two things one can always control, the importance of goal setting and the importance of leadership, according to Bamford.
“She (Wiggins) also spent 25 minutes each day at the end of lunch break for a Q&A session,” Bamford added. “The kids loved it and were very engaged.”
Wiggins, who also supports the Until There’s a Cure organization for AIDS patients, spoke to the students about the importance of finding something meaningful beyond sports and a way to contribute to the world at large.
Until There’s a Cure sells bracelets to help raise funds for HIV/AIDS education, vaccine development and care services. For information, call (800) 88-UNTIL or visit www.until.org. Wiggins’ father Alan Wiggins, who played baseball with the San Diego Padres, died in 1991 from drug-related AIDS.
Bamford added that Wiggins plans to make the camp an annual event.
Wiggins and the Minnesota Lynx return to WNBA action Aug. 30 when they host the Washington Mystics.