Joe's Camp 2011

Bantam Elite Basketball Camp - Est. 2000

About Joe

I have decided to tell you a little about myself, not because I like writing about myself, but because you may have no idea who I am.  If you don’t know me, I hope that after reading this, you will have a better understanding of how I have developed such a passion for basketball and working with young people.

 

Unlike many people who run their own basketball camp, I never played professional basketball.  Actually, I never played university basketball.  My basketball career ended during the Summer between the tenth and eleventh grade, when I tore the ACL in my left knee in a Summer League game.  However, that serious injury eventually turned out to be a blessing, even though it didn’t seem that way at first.  

 

After the injury, my life began to go down hill.  Basketball had been my identity for as long as I could remember, so when I lost the ability to play, it had a major impact on my life.  My marks began to fall, and I began to get into trouble.  Eventually, it got to the point where I was expelled from Halifax West High School, in February of my fourth year, at the age of 19.  At that point in my life, I didn’t have much going for me at all.  I took a job working the overnight shift at a department store.  I was basically going nowhere fast.  Things changed for me when I got a call from one of my former minor basketball coaches, Jim Gannon.  Jim asked me if I would be interested in coaching a mini boys team for his club, the Fairview Clayton Park Warriors.   I agreed, and it turned out to be one of the best things to ever happen to me. 

 

I decided to go back to Halifax West for a fifth year that September.  We held our tryouts for the mini team a few weeks later.  It didn’t take long before I realized that I really enjoyed coaching.  I started to feel better about myself as a person, and I decided that I wanted to go into teaching.  We had a great group of kids that year.  If they are reading this, they know who they are.  I am thankful to them for helping me turn my life around.  They were a pleasure to coach, and I learned a lot about myself and life from them that season. 

 

By June of my fifth and final year of high school, I had managed to maintain an average grade of 84%, which meant that I qualified for the school’s Honour Role.  I remember how surprised many of the parents and students were at graduation to hear our vice principal announce: “Joe Mosher graduates with honours.”  I enrolled at Saint Mary’s University that September, and earned by Bachelor of Arts degree four years later.

 

I continued to coach throughout university.  I ran my first Joe’s Camp in August of 2000, and I took a team of our city’s top 13-year-old players for a week-long tour of New York City in July of 2001.  I was falling in love with basketball all over again, only this time it wasn’t as a player, it was as a coach. 

 

My first son, Jonah, was born in January of 2002.  Jonah is now nine-years-old, and I am blessed to have him.  He makes me laugh everyday, and there is nothing I’d rather do than spend time with him.  Jonah played his first year of organized basketball in 2009-10 for the Jr. Mini West End Steelers.  He tells me that he will be good enough to come to my camp when he’s ten-years-old; we will see about that. 

 

After graduating from Acadia University in 2006, I started my career as an elementary school teacher with the Halifax Regional School Board.  I am looking forward to a long career as a teacher. 

 

My wife, Melissa, and I were married on October 10th, 2009.  Melissa has been an amazing wife, as I knew she would be.  She is an incredible step-mother to Jonah, and we are both extremely lucky to have her in our lives.  I should also mention that she has helped out at every camp I’ve done since we met in 2004. 

 

On March 19th, 2011, Melissa gave birth to our son, Isaiah.  Everything has been going great so far!  He is a really good baby and Jonah is a great big brother!  He can’t quite hold a basketball yet, but he’s getting there. 

 

In closing, I just want to say that I have met many great people through basketball, and I have had the privilege to coach many amazing young people.  I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to see so many kids grow up and accomplish their goals, as basketball players, and as people.  They have done more for me than I could ever do for them—no doubt. 

 

I will see you in a gym somewhere very soon. 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Joe Mosher