Former Tiger Bowers to host camp this summer at Helias

Laurence Bowers puts up a shot while playing for Orlandina Basket in Italy.
Laurence Bowers puts up a shot while playing for Orlandina Basket in Italy.

Basketball has taken Laurence Bowers around the world.

It was his ticket to the University of Missouri, where he was a part of the winningest four-year class in Tigers history. To Israel, where the 6-foot-8 forward played two seasons in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. And to Italy, where he currently plays for Orlandina Basket of Lega Basket Serie A.

But who knows where he’d be if not for the Boys and Girls Club of West Memphis, Ark.

It was there — on North Missouri Street, as it just so happens — that he played his first game of basketball. He never forgot the chance he was given, he said, and always wanted to return the favor if he got the opportunity.

The result was Camp Bowers.

“We just feel like this is a way of giving back, because I was once in the same predicament as a lot of these kids,” Bowers said. “Going to basketball camps and having people to look up to, that was my way out.”

Bowers’ youth basketball camp made its debut last year with more than 200 attendees between Columbia and Festus. This year, Camp Bowers comes to Jefferson City, where Helias will serve as the host facility June 20-21.

“We had a lot of supporters in Jeff City when I was playing in Missouri,” Bowers said. “It’s my way of coming back to Jeff City, saying thank you and just trying to make an impact there. Because I know basketball’s also really big in that area.”

Of Camp Bowers’ four locations this summer, Jefferson City is the only camp targeted at players with advanced skill sets, ages 12-18.

“Since it’s so close to Columbia, we wanted to make it a little bit different,” Bowers said. “Basically, the difference will be we’ll drill the kids a lot harder. It’ll be fun, of course, because basketball camps are fun, but we’re really going to get after it as far as skill development and teaching fundamentals.

“Because these kids are at the age where they’re trying to make middle-school teams and high-school teams, we’re really going to get these kids on a more strict regimen.”

Bowers said his initial experience with the camp last summer was overwhelmingly positive.

“All of the kids I would say got better at something, and that’s the main goal,” he said. “Obviously, in three days you can’t turn a player that’s never played into a LeBron James, but if you can impact them and help them improve in something, then you’ve done your job.”

New to this year’s camp are coaches with professional basketball experience.

Two of Bowers’ former teammates with professional experience, Missouri standouts Marcus Denmon and J.T. Tiller, have already signed on to help with the camp. So has Jarrett Sutton, who also played with Bowers at Missouri.

“I just think that in itself just adds to the camp,” Bowers said. “Because you’re not only learning from guys that played high-school basketball and middle-school basketball or that know the game. You’re learning from professional guys who are actually getting paid to play, who have been in the same shoes that these kids are in.”

Though Bowers is not yet sure which former Missouri players will be at the Jefferson City camp, he does know that Mike Smith, a Van-Far High School graduate who has played professionally overseas, will be there. Bowers is also trying to get some current Missouri players involved.

When Bowers decided to expand to Jefferson City, he reached out to Helias boys basketball coach Josh Buffington, who met Bowers at Missouri’s high school team camp. Bowers and then-teammate Kim English would make sure they were working the scorer’s table whenever the Crusaders were playing, Helias athletic director Brad Dempsey said.

“They were just always so involved throughout the week and very supportive of our young kids coming down there and competing,” Buffington said. “Our kids really took an interest to Laurence, and we felt like he took an interest in our program. It was pretty cool to see both ways.

“… I’ve been around long enough now, you go to a lot of these Division I events and sometimes you just don’t have that personable feel, whether it’s the staff or their players. That was never the case with Laurence, and that made our guys feel comfortable and look up to him even more.”

After his senior year at Missouri in 2012-13, Bowers signed with Hapoel Holon in Israel. He played there for two seasons before joining Orlandina Basket in the Italian league, which Bowers said is a step up competitively. He has averaged 11.6 points per game in his first season with Orlandina Basket, whose roster includes former Missouri teammate Alex Oriakhi and Ryan Boatright, who won a national title with Connecticut in 2014.

Playing abroad has its ups and downs, Bowers said.

“The pros is the fact that we get to experience the world in a way that we never imagined, and also the fact that I’m playing basketball and now it’s for a job,” he said. “It’s something I love to do, and I’m getting paid for it, so I’m very blessed in that regard. … Some of the cons is — well, I wouldn’t say some of the cons. The biggest con of being overseas is the fact that you’re just miles away from your family. Other than that, it’s a great life.”

From May through August, Bowers is able to return to the United States. Though he and his wife split time between Missouri and Memphis, he spends most of his summer in Columbia running his camp or giving lessons.

And he’s still connected with the Tigers, stopping by Mizzou Arena to train and keeping in touch with the staff and players like freshmen Kevin Puryear and Terrence Phillips.

“The guys are very receptive to me, because when I was there, they were fans,” Bowers said. “I just try to go back and spill as much knowledge as I can into them.”

He’s also tried to be a source of positivity for the current players, something in high demand after consecutive seasons with more than 20 losses.

“It never fulfills your heart to see your alma mater struggle,” Bowers said, “but at the end of the day, man, they’re young. I’m looking forward to seeing how the freshman class evolves, because they remind me so much of my 2008 class. I’m very optimistic about their growth. Regardless of the season that they just had and the previous season, I still think that if they stick together, they’ll eventually win a lot of games.”

In working with younger players, both at his camp and his alma mater, Bowers is getting closer to what he hopes to be the final destination of his basketball career: coaching.

“I love being around the younger generation, and I feel like my passion and love for the game of basketball would translate very well into that of a coach,” Bowers said. “I’ve spoken with many of my assistant coaches and stuff like that about getting into coaching once I’m done, and they all have given me their blessing and say that they think that it’ll be a great fit for me.”

When Bowers missed Missouri’s 30-win season in 2011-12 with an ACL injury, he was able to glean what basketball looks like from the sideline.

“It helped me develop more of an appreciation for the game, because I saw it from a coach’s point of view,” he said. “Everything that was going on in the game was slowed down 10 times more than when I’m out there actually playing. So I got to see every angle, every inch.

“And I think that that year alone really helped me decide that, ‘Hey, I want to be a coach once I’m done.’ I’ve never looked back since that year.”

Except, of course, when looking back to West Memphis.

Bowers is acutely aware his basketball career might have stopped at the basket he fixed to a light pole in his front yard if not for the help of others. That’s why he offers scholarships to players who wish to attend Camp Bowers but might not be able to afford it.

“I remember having people sponsor me to be able to go to camps,” Bowers said. “Because at times my family had hardship with the finance part of it.

“So I just always told myself that once I get up and of age, that if I’m ever in a position to give back to the community with camps, that that would be something that I would do.”

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Camp Bowers will be held at Helias High School from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. June 20-21. For more information, go to lbosports.com.