How SM East grad’s Hoops 4 Her basketball camp has grown as it returns to Kenya

How SM East grad’s Hoops 4 Her basketball camp has grown as it returns to Kenya
Kessler said she appreciates her time in the GABL, where she played five seasons for Ryan Hull’s Future team, even more and learned a lot from those experiences.

"I started that in fourth grade, and that's where I've made some of my best friends," Kessler said. “I'm going to hang out with some of them after this (interview), and I've been playing with them forever — just so many good team dinners, team bonding, travel tournaments. ... It was like a family for me.”

For the second annual Hoops 4 Her camp, which takes place Aug. 3-7 in Kenya, the GABL has joined forces with Kessler.

“We’re donating basketballs for every player as well as notebooks for their classroom session to take notes,” Nick Ray, the GABL's communication coordinator and program director, said.

Nobody with the GABL seems shocked that Kessler is making an impact.

"What I remember from Fina as a player is her energy,” Ray said. “She always brought good energy on the court, always was a positive energy at practices and stuff. ... Our mission as a league is to grow the game and, to see one of our former players be able to do that herself and take that mission, it's so rewarding to see that.”

The GABL hopes to grow the partnership in future years.

"I have a daughter myself, so being able to know that we are helping other young women across the world grow a game in a place where the opportunity is not necessarily there for them, it's super rewarding and fulfilling," Ray said.

But this second year of the camp wasn’t always assured. Kessler said her original vision was just to do a one-time camp, but the girls made it clear they expected her back.

"After the first year, the girls — like on the last day, or even on the first day — they were like, ‘OK, so you're coming back next year, right?’ So, I mean, we didn't really have a choice. The girls were depending on us.”

Thanks to the GABL’s donations, Hoops 4 Her will be able to provide a pair of sneakers for each player at camp as well on this trip.

Kessler leaves Friday for Kenya.

"I'm just excited to see the girls,” she said. “I haven't seen them in a while, and I want to see how they've grown. I want to see how many I can remember and see if I know any of their names.”

She even has another surprise in store for the girls in Kenya.

“I'm trying to work a little bit on my Swahili so I can try to do a greeting in their language,” Kessler said.

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