Permission to use photo granted from Ivory Latta. Source: http://www.ivorylatta.com

The Washington Mystics (10-6) led by as many as 24 points and the Seattle Storm (5-14) were never able to recover from such a huge deficit during yesterday’s matinee game. The ‘Stics won 87-74 and slide into second place in the Eastern Conference. After the game, I caught up with the game’s leading scorer, Ivory Latta (20 points, 2 assists), to chat a little bit about her upcoming basketball academy in Reston, Virginia.

This is not Ivory’s first time doing her academy.

I did it in Atlanta and it was a great success, but this is my first time doing it here in D.C. I want it to be a continuous thing. [There are] a lot of girls out there that need to hear a good message they can take going into the school year so they can have their focus and be ready for their season.

As with any camp, there will be plenty of basketballs, a gym, coaches, whistles, several drills, and the squeaky sound of sneakers on the court.

It’s a skills camp. We need to get back to the fundamentals of things. You’re going to come out there and enjoy yourself and have fun, but at the same time you’re going to learn a lot of things. I’m going to put you through some college drills. You will be put through some WNBA drills.

But what will make Ivory’s Academy unique? What should campers and parents expect during the day?

Ivory Latta further breaks it down for us.

My main thing is to also have a segment of my camp where you understand it’s more to basketball. Me, being a college coach for two years, that’s my opportunity to share what I know the college coaches are looking for. My crew will be able to talk to you about social media–the things that you need to watch out for but not to put on social media because College coaches have that one person that’s looking. That’s a big thing of recruiting kids.

College coaches regularly monitor social media accounts of potential high school recruits and have often used the not-so-smart word choice in a recruit’s 140 character post on Twitter s as grounds to cease individual recruiting efforts.

Ivory further explained.

It’s not your ordinary camp because there are a lot of things I want to touch on. Kids need to [also] really take care of their money.

Financial literacy is a big topic for anyone and is especially important for athletes who may experience an influx of financial resources. In 2009, Sports Illustrated estimated that 78% of NFL players go bankrupt within two years of ending their playing careers and 60% of NBA players are scraping to make financial ends meet within five years of retiring from the league.

This camp is about learning and finessing both basketball and life skills.

I wish you could have seen the big grin on Ivory’s face as she spoke about her upcoming academy. She is super excited about local girls’ participation in her first Academy held in northern Virginia. It is bound to be a huge success!

You’re going to go through some college drills. You’re going to go through some WNBA drills. You’re going to have a good time. You’re going to learn. And all I ask of the campers is to come and bring a lot of energy.

Ivory Latta sets up the Mystics offense while the New York Liberty’s Anna Cruz matches up. August 5, 2014. Photo credit: Mark Coleman

Ivory Latta Academy
Saturday, August 15, 2015
(girls ages 8 – 16 years old)

YMCA – Reston
12196 Sunset Hills Rd.
Reston, VA 20190

Learn more and register at http://www.ivorylatta.com.

Ivory Latta is a University of North Carolina alumna and Washington Mystics point guard currently playing in her ninth WNBA season. This season she averages 11.9 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game. She shoots 88% from the free throw line (12th overall in the WNBA), 38% from three-point land (10th overall in the WNBA), and 40% from the field. The Mystics travel to Texas to play the San Antonio Stars (5-14) on Friday, July 31 at 8:00pm ET. The game will be shown on WNBA Live Access.

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