Why former Auburndale star Brandon Giles brought his love of basketball to the Bahamas
It didn't matter how hot it was, natives from Nassau, Bahamas were giving it their all on the basketball court as Brandon Giles looked on and continued his instruction.
Giles, a former Auburndale and All Saints basketball player and now the head basketball coach at Polk State College, spent two days facilitating the free "No Limits Basketball/Recruitment Camp" at C.I. Gibson High School in the Bahamas. He was there with assistant coach Josh Jackson coaching more than 100 participants from grade levels 1-12.
"I was so impressed with how committed these kids were to learning and their love for the game of basketball," Giles said. "One of the days, it was 101 degrees, and they were running drills outside with full effort."
Giles and Jackson were among three college coaches instructing the camp. Also on the trip was Chris Springs, the head women's basketball coach at Hillsborough Community College.
The camp was sponsored in partnership by two faith-based nonprofits, Tampa-based Revealing Truth Ministries and Kemp Road Ministries, which both are based in Nassau.
More: Brandon Giles, Assistant Basketball Coach at Warner, Seeks to Follow Father's Legacy
Giles and Jackson's philanthropic efforts were inspired by Trevor Allen, who is a senior pastor at Imprint Ministries in Winter Haven. Allen is also an avid supporter of Polk State basketball.
"Pastor Trevor has been coming here for about 10 years," Giles said. "He's been a huge supporter of our program and does whatever he can to make a difference throughout the Polk County community. For Coach Jackson and I to have the opportunity to make a positive impact and help grow the game of basketball, it was a no-brainer."
Additionally, Giles and Jackson also spoke at four Nassau schools with the goal to empower those students in attendance. The coaches' efforts were also featured on Our News Bahamas, a local Nassau TV station.
"The beauty of coaching basketball is watching young men grow as men," Jackson said to the local schoolchildren. "One of our mottos we tell players is you're going to be a basketball player. We're here to provide guidance and teach life lessons in addition to the game of basketball."
Polk County's Giles steps up the ladder
Giles is the son of former Polk State head coach Josh Giles, who coached the program for 25 years. Giles went on to play basketball at Auburndale, eventually becoming The Ledger's Player of the Year as a senior.
He played basketball on a full athletic scholarship at Western Carolina University.
In his sophomore year, he was in a car with his girlfriend before being hit from behind from a car going 70 MPH. He sustained life-threatening injuries but made a miraculous recovery.
Still, he went on to sign with a team in Germany before tearing a ligament in his right ankle. When helping to rebrand the Josh Giles Foundation which has doled out Polk State scholarships, he shifted gears to coaching as an assistant at Auburndale, Florida Elite Basketball and then Warner University.
Giles is now in his sixth year as the Polk State head men's coach.
Polk state last year went 11-18.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk State Basketball coach Brandon Giles takes camp to Nassau, Bahamas
