The Central High legend and veteran of 10 NBA seasons will headline a free youth clinic in Wilbraham before lacing them up in a charity game in his old stomping ground.
Travis Best, shown here at his Springfield basketball clinic in 2003, will be back for more of the same this weekend.
Who says you can’t go home?
Certainly not Travis Best, the Central High School basketball great, former Georgia Tech star and 10-year NBA player who is returning to the Springfield area for a weekend of activities.
First up is a free youth basketball clinic Saturday at Wilbraham’s Scantic Valley YMCA.
“I have a knack for seeing what a kid can do and the weaknesses in their game – where I can figure out what to work on to help them improve,” Best said. “I’ve played a lot of basketball and have been taught by a lot of great coaches and instructors. I have worked in the game for a number of years, so I know what it takes to help a young player improve.”
Talking about the clinic brought back Best’s own memories of his childhood in Springfield.
“They used to have open gym at Freedman (Elementary School) at night when I was about five or six, and I would just dribble around and play,” Best said. “The older kids would come in, kick everybody out and play. I had two older brothers, so I got to hang around and watch them play even though all of the other kids were out. After I got a little bit older and the kids my age were off the court, they’d allow me to play.”
After Saturday’s clinic, the stars will be out that night for the annual Living Legends All-Star Game facilitated by the Greater Springfield Pro-Am Basketball League. The game has often been played in bigger gyms, including Center Court at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but this year’s tilt is in the cozier confines of the beloved Dunbar Community Center.
The game, a showcase featuring city luminaries, past and present players from the GSPABL, and local celebrities, is an opportunity for basketball’s birthplace to share in a night of fun and competition.
With age and retirement having crept up on Best, however, getting back on the court in front of a hometown crowd is somewhat daunting for the former NBA point guard.
“For me, it’s a little intimidating,” he said. “I’m 40 now, and I haven’t really been in the gym as much as I’d like. You’re afraid of the expectations. This is more so for fun and a cause to get everybody together.”
For more information on Saturday’s free clinic, visit springfieldy.org or call 413-596-2749. Saturday’s charity game tips off at 6 p.m., with $10 advance tickets and $15 admission at the door.