Former Kansas University basketball standout Ben McLemore of the Sacramento Kings will hold his first “Sir McLemore Summer Slam” from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Saturday, July 26, in Lawrence.
The Slam, which will include a variety of events, in McLemore’s words, “will help me raise awareness (and funds) for the fight against childhood hunger.”
Over the past year, McLemore’s charity, All4Kids, has donated food for children in McLemore’s hometown of Wellston, Missouri. The motivation for his involvement is his own childhood in which he often went without food because of poverty.
Here’s a list of the activities during the Summer Slam …
Morning Dash, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.: A one-mile sprint down Massachusetts Street with winners receiving a VIP pass for the rest of the day’s activities.
Morning Dribble, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Entrants will dribble a ball down a mile stretch of Mass Street.
Brunch with Ben, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: The first 20 to sign up will have a “get to know him” brunch with McLemore.
Sneaker Search, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Autographed sneakers will be hidden throughout Lawrence with clues provided to find them.
Slam Showcase, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: McLemore and other Jayhawks will hold a slam-dunk event at East Lawrence Rec Center. Those who sign up will be able to pass alley oops to McLemore and other players.
Ball With Ben, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: During the Slam Showcase, 10 fans will play 1-on-1 versus McLemore.
To order tickets, click here.
Several individuals signed up following McLemore’s tweets about the event on Wednesday.
“Y’all work fast. Thx for all the sign ups today. Let’s do this!” McLemore wrote on Twitter. He will be spending most of the summer in Lawrence as he takes classes at KU and works out with KU’s current players.
Carter wants to visit: Former Georgia Tech forward Robert Carter Jr. is in the process of trying to set up a date for a campus visit to KU, his AAU coach, Winfred Jordan, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The 6-foot-8 Carter has visited St. John’s and is expected to visit South Carolina on Saturday and Maryland on Monday. He will sit out the upcoming season, then will have two years of eligibility remaining.
“Robert had people calling from all over the place after he got his release from Tech,” Jordan of the Atlanta Xpress told the Journal-Constitution. “Kansas, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas, Cal, USC, UCLA and Florida are some of them. Everybody has been trying to get in.
“He enjoyed St. John’s,” Jordan added. “He thought the chance to play his home games at Madison Square Garden was unbelievable. It’s a big market, and Robert is a Southern kid, and those things kind of impress you. But at the end of the day, we just want to make sure that Robert is in the right situation with the right kind of people so he can try to accomplish what his dream is – that’s to get to the next level for basketball.”
South Carolina’s Frank Martin coached Carter at a USA Basketball event. Carter’s former high school and AAU teammate, Trayvon Reed, has signed with Maryland.
Carter, who is a graduate of Shiloh High in Snellville, Georgia, averaged 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds as a sophomore at Tech. He was the No. 33-rated prospect in the recruiting Class of 2012 by Rivals.com. He is hoping to pick a school by the end of June.
Embiid agrees to take physical: Former Kansas University center Joel Embiid will visit with front office executives of the Cleveland Cavaliers sometime in coming weeks and has agreed to a physical exam, ESPN’s Andy Katz reports.
Seven-footer Embiid won’t visit any other teams until the Cavs “are given a chance to determine if they will select Embiid with the top pick in the June 26 draft,” Katz reports.
Embiid, who is expected to be a lock to go in the top three of the draft, is a likely No. 1 pick if it is deemed his back is healthy. Embiid missed the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments because of a stress fracture in his back.
Poet dies: Legendary author and poet Maya Angelou died Wednesday at the age of 86. Former KU guard Jacque Vaughn, head coach of the Orlando Magic, has long credited Angelou for inspiration.
“My favorite poet of all time is Maya Angelou,” Vaughn told NBA.com a few years ago. “What draws me to her is her story, where she’s come from, the person she has become, the ability for her to walk into a room and captivate the people without saying a word and then when she speaks, for me, it’s a euphoria. I’ve heard her speak before and it’s one of the treats of my life.”
He was asked if he’d ever met Angelou.
“Not one-on-one. She was at a symposium that I got the chance to go to and she spoke. I’ll never forget that day,” Vaughn told the website.
Manning coming to town: Former KU All-American Danny Manning will meet fans and customers during the grand opening of DICK’S Sporting Goods, 2727 Iowa Street, on Saturday, June 7. Manning will be at the store from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. The three-day grand opening will take place from Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8 with some giveaways for customers.
Fritz camp: Blue Valley Northwest coach Ed Fritz will hold a college stars camp (ages 7-17) featuring KU and Kansas State players from 9 a.m. until noon Monday through Wednesday at The Fieldhouse of Kansas City, 12140 W 135th St, Overland Park. To register go to www.agapehoops.com or email coach@kcgymrats.com.
