Life's Greatest Workshop

Growing up, I wanted nothing more than to be a college basketball player. I would spend my summers following my dad, Joe Dean, Jr., and my grandfather, Joe Dean, Sr., around the country participating in basketball camps. No matter where I went, or what camp I played in, none ever compared to what is now the String Music Basketball Camp! Year after year, it not only taught the fundamentals of the game, but shared the principles of life that are so vital to character development of a young person. I never became a great basketball player, but it was in remote Summit, Miss., and the hot gyms of Southwest Mississippi Community College that I learned to many of the values that proved so important to growth as a young man, and eventually husband and father. 

For the past 56 years, the String Music Basketball Camp has grown dramatically and been a source of inspiration for three generations of boys, aspiring to become basketball players. Every summer I ask our campers how many of their Dad’s attended camp. It's incredible to see 50-75 kids each week raise their hands. We even ask how many of your grandfathers attended, and amazingly a handful always raise their hands. this camp has truly become a special experience for many kids that enjoy a fun, enthusiastic, inspiring week of sweat and basketball at the world famous, String Music Basketball Camp and Country Club – HEY!!

We tell the kids every summer, that the athletic arena is life’s greatest workshop! Nowhere in our society can a young person learn the value of discipline, dedication, hard work, teamwork, and overcoming adversity as in the athletic arena. My Dad knew this all too well and created the culture and spirit of our summer basketball camp that has literally lived on for 49 years. The String Music Basketball Camp is a special experience and I thank God for the opportunity he continues to give us to inspire campers to be the very best they can be.

So, for the 57th summer, let me invite you to be a part of a legendary basketball camp experience, created by a legendary man, and perpetuated by his son and grandson, in the Athletic Arena > “Life’s Greatest Workshop!"

See you in July.

Sincerely,
Scott Dean
Camp Director (General III)