GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Former Michigan State basketball player Marcus Bingham Jr. was back at Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Thursday hosting a youth basketball camp for the first time.
Bingham Jr. cited what fellow former Spartan Xavier Tillman has done with his camp and that he attended the Sugar Mel camp when he was a kid as big reasons for starting his own.
"It's a big deal because at this age I didn't really have anyone to look up to," Bingham Jr. said. "For me I feel like just being a role model for these guys and showing them that you can go to college, graduate high school and college, then you can come back and always give back, so it is always good to do that."
More than 50 kids in grades three through six showed up on Thursday and there were a lot of smiles all over the gym as Bingham Jr. and his brother Mykel, who plays at Ferris State, ran up and down the court with them.
"I'm from Grand Rapids born and raised, I didn't really step out of the state until I really started playing basketball so just showing them if they keep working hard, going all across the country for this sport itself, it can all payoff as well for them."
Bingham Jr. missed what should have been his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks because of an ankle injury but is now healthy and ready for the NBA summer league in July.
