Growing up in the Sand Hills neighborhood of Augusta, Will Avery attended Westside High School and played three seasons of basketball before transferring to Oak Hill Academy to play his final season.
Avery then went on to attend Duke University, where he played college basketball and emerged as a top prospect for the NBA draft. Avery decided to forgo his final two seasons to turn professional and was selected in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves and spent a couple of seasons in the NBA.
Afterwards, Avery spent a decade playing professionally overseas and has even been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Still, even after fulfilling his dream of playing in the NBA, Avery returned home to Augusta, every summer. By the time he was in his early 30s, Avery had a growing family—his wife Chastity and daughters Yasmine and Autumn- so he decided that it was time to come home, for good.
Avery now runs basketball camps, plays host to all-star events, manages and coaches travel ball teams in the area. He has passed on his knowledge of the game to hundreds of kids in the CSRA and will begin a Development League Summer Season starting June 9th. The League takes 80 kids (boys and girls) and supports eight teams. The program focuses on those kids that need a little more work, are looking for a place to play or beginners in grades 6th through 8th. And in giving back to the community, Avery doesn’t charge for these classes and all it cost is their time.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Avery’s daughter, Jasmine played basketball at Greenbrier High School and closed out her season this year. She earned first-team All-County and All-Region honors after averaging more than 12 points and eight rebounds per contest.
Recently, Avery watched as his daughter, signed a letter of intent to play college basketball, as she was offered a basketball scholarship by Truett-McConnell University in Cleveland, Ga. For more information, visit www.willaverybasketballcamps.com.
How to Get Your Children into College Sports
According to www.time.com, these tips will help your student-athlete get noticed by colleges.
• Tip one: BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S TALENT. “Few kids are good enough to compete in D-1, so don’t eliminate D-2 and D-3 schools because many have great sports and great academics. An unbiased assessment of your kid’s talent by a high school coach will help narrow the search.”
• Tip two: DON’T WAIT TO BE SCOUTED. “Most kids go to tournaments and showcases hoping a coach from the school of their dreams will notice them…but coaches already have a list of kids they want to look at. To get on that list, create a short highlight video, write a compelling profile (including grades), and send them to coaches. Start as early as your child’s freshman year. That way, you’ll know where things stand by junior year with his or her top school choices.”
• Tip three: HIT THE BOOKS. “Athletes with good grades have a big edge. Great academics also allow a coach to recruit others with less-than-stellar grades (because your kid’s high GPA helps bring up the recruiting class’s average).”
• Tip four: SEEK OUT INFLUENCERS. “It helps if your kid receives lessons from someone with college contacts. Influencers might also help your child get into an invitation-only college-recruiting camp. Another source: Enroll in a college sports camp, where you’ll be able to work out with the coaches themselves. Some clinics last only a day and run $100 or so…”
This article appears in the June/July 2018 issue of Augusta Family Magazine.
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