Jamaal Franklin returns back to Serrano High School for his annual skills academy
It’s a few minutes past noon on Saturday and a sweet smell enters the gym at Serrano High School.
A group of 10 kids attending Jamaal Franklin’s Skill Academy turns the corner into the gym’s entrance. “It’s McDonald’s” and “We’re getting McDonald’s” can be heard.
A few minutes later Jeremiah Britto, a fourth grader at Cameron Elementary School in Barstow, heads back into the gym and drops his apple pie. Jeremiah laughs but has a sad look on his face. Then he’s told he can have another pie to go along with his McNuggets and apple slices.
“This is what it’s all about,” said Franklin, a Serrano graduate who is preparing for his new venture in Australia, where he will play for the Adelaide 36ers.
Jeremiah says McDonald’s is a perfect treat after a good workout inside the gym.
Jeremiah’s dream is to one day play in the NBA. His favorite teams are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, and his favorite players are Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant — Franklin had the opportunity to play against both.
He even stole the ball from Bryant during a game on Dec. 17, 2013, while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies as a rookie. Bryant drew a triple team from the Grizzlies, the ball came loose and Franklin took the ball upcourt. But instead of taking the shot, he kicked the ball back out to Mike Miller for a three-pointer.
While Franklin came up with the loose ball, the scorers never credited him with the actual steal.
“That was crazy man. I don’t remember if I got the steal or not, but it’s a moment that I’ll never forget,” Franklin said. “What’s crazy is I knew Kobe personally. When I was going to high school here I used to do all his camps in L.A. And then I got a chance to play against him was dope. He remembered me from doing his camps and not everyone gets those kinds of moments. But I did. A kid that graduated from here.”
Franklin graduated from Serrano in 2009 and was the 2008 Daily Press Boys Basketball Athlete of the Year as a junior. He later played three years at San Diego State before becoming the area’s first player to be selected in the NBA Draft in 31 years when the Memphis Grizzlies took him in the second round with the 41st overall pick in 2013.
That’s why his skills academy is so special to him. Franklin remembers growing up in the High Desert without anything like it ever happening so close to home.
He would have to travel down the Cajon Pass to attend any kind of skills camps and learn from professional athletes.
“Man, the only thing I remember ever happening here was one time Devean George, of the Lakers, had a meet-and-greet at Circuit City with a huge line wrapped around the building,” said Harrison Gaines, a fellow Serrano alum, who also is Franklin’s agent.
Gaines, the camp’s director, is two years older than Franklin and acted as a mentor for him. Gaines graduated from Serrano, where as a senior teamed with Franklin during the 2006-07 season and is the program leader in career points with 2,086.
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Both Gaines’ and Franklin’s jersey numbers are retired and are displayed in Serrano’s gym.
Like Franklin, Gaines played college basketball for two seasons for the University of Pennsylvania before heading to the University of California, Riverside. With playing days long gone, Gaines is the chief executive officer of SLASH Sports and Entertainment, which represents Franklin and various other athletes.
“When Jamaal got drafted all he wanted to do was come back and give something to the community,” Gaines said prior to the start of the camp. “So every time we come back it’s so nice to see the gym so packed. Being around kids that truly love the game and to be able to teach them is special. We have a counselors staff of professional, collegiate and top high school talent that come teach the game to these young men and ladies. We hope it’s something that they can take home and apply to their seasons and go from there.”
It’s all come full circle with Jordan Campbell, who is the top scorer in Adelanto High School history. As a senior for the Saints, Campbell averaged 29.1 points; he remembers the first time coming to Franklin’s camp nearly a decade ago.
Upon graduating, Campbell attended SDSU, just like Franklin, before eventually transferring to Oregon State University and wrapping up his collegiate career at California State University, Fresno earlier this year. For the Bulldogs, Campbell averaged 7.1 points during the 2021-22 season and most recently 5.7 points.
Campbell led the high-energy workouts before the start of the camp, where he was at a dribbling station showing off his handles.
“This means the world to me because I was a kid just like them coming out to the camp,” Cambell said in between sessions. “I remember not knowing anything and just being excited to be around all the different kids and being around such great talent. I remember just wanting to come and learn everything I could and that was amazing.
So being able to have this opportunity to come back and work with the camp is everything. Especially doing it for Jamaal. Man, Jamaal has been with me since I was 13-14 years old. He’s been helping me ever since. So coming here to not just give back to the community but do it for him, who I consider a brother, is special. It’s nothing but love.”
For Franklin, that’s what it’s all about.
“Even when I’m done playing basketball I want to keep coming back and putting this on for our community until the day I leave this world,” Franklin said. “It means a lot coming back to the place where I went to school for four years and played basketball, football and track and field. Now I see guys that I played with bringing their own kids to the camp. So it feels like a family tradition here now. I just want everyone to come together and keep having a good time. Keep giving the local kids something to look forward to. Giving them the opportunity to see it’s possible to make it from out here.”
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Jamaal Franklin returns back to Serrano for his annual skills academy
