MBNO feeds into next generation of hoopers with second camp

The MBNO Brand has two major roots.

The first is basketball. MBNO's three founders, Ja Morant, Davonte Pack and Deonte Dennis, were all hoopers. Morant has made a career of the sport, starring at Murray State before electrifying crowds as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. The sport unites them.

The second is Sumter, the county that raised them. Morant and Dennis both went to Crestwood, while Pack went to Lakewood before playing college ball at Cowley College and Friends University.

On Sept. 21-22, the trio reunited with those roots, bringing the second edition of their basketball camp to Sumter High.

"It's about the give back," Morant's father, Tee Morant, said. "Of course, this is his hometown and giving back, seeing the kids working. Hopefully they leave with a little more than they came with. It's all a building process."

Tee Morant thought it was important for the campers to get some one-on-one time with the Grizzlies star, as he spent a few hours on Saturday just playing ball with the kids. His presence gives these kids living proof that their dreams can come true.

"(It) Pretty much humanizes him to show the kids that if they continue to work, they can be the next Ja coming out of Sumter," he said.

The past few months in Sumter County have been taxing, as gun violence continues to be a major cause for concern. MBNO wanted this weekend of basketball to be an oasis of sorts, somewhere these kids can escape the real world and just focus on their love of the game.

"Especially with what I've been seeing on social media with all of the police reports and all, it's good for us to come back and have a positive basketball camp and a community knowledge thing for the kids," Pack said. "That's big for us."

The camp had a new format this fall. The first edition of the camp was just a one-day event, but the group at MBNO decided to expand to a second day in its second iteration. The first day was largely spent teaching, running the middle school-aged athletes through drills before capping off the day with games of knock out. The winners of those games all earned signed gear from Ja Morant on Sunday. The second day was all about competition, as campers played games throughout the day, earning more prizes in the process. They played around the world behind the three-point line with the winners earning signed Grizzlies jerseys.

"Definitely more time with the kids. The kids love it, they're still out here playing," Pack said after the camp formally wrapped up on Saturday in a still bustling gym at Sumter High. "The joy we see they have during this time makes me love it even more. To see them have time with it and enjoy it more, makes me enjoy it more."

The camp was also a teaching moment for the members of MBNO. Outside of the one-on-one time the leaders had with the campers, MBNO also brought speakers who shared their knowledge and life experiences. One of those was Grant Singleton, Pack's former Lakewood teammate. Singleton went on to play college basketball at St. Thomas Aquinas before transferring to Fairleigh Dickenson, where he and the Knights shocked the world by taking out No. 1 Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. He played internationally in Finland last year and will soon begin another professional season overseas.

"It takes a village. For us, it's more of the mental give back," Tee Morant said. "Helping guide them in the direction they need to go, and we won't have to read or see that they got caught up in this because we're trying to give them some positives."

Pack added, "Seeing it in their eyes is big for us. If they see it, they'll want to grab it more."

MBNO stands for My Brother, No Other. Pack sees the organization as a massive family that he loves to see expand.

"I want MBNO to make everyone feel like they're a part of the brotherhood, I want everyone to feel like we're family and everyone can do the same thing that they see us gel together and do," Pack said. "We just want to bring them on board and give them a piece of what we have."

MBNO will be back in Sumter soon with another Blessing Box giveaway for Thanksgiving. They gave away 100 meals last year and plan to give out more in the second iteration.