Former Kentucky WBB guard Jaida Roper hosting all-girls basketball academy in Lexington

ZGeogheganKSR

Jaida Roper, who graduated from the University of Kentucky following the 2019-20 season, spent four years as a member of the Wildcats Women’s Basketball program making a name for herself on the floor as an insanely hard worker and off the court for her glowing personality. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Roper didn’t come to Kentucky with five-star status or otherworldly athleticism, but she quickly became a fan favorite and one of the team’s most reliable players down the stretch of her career. Her determination is what made her such a special player during her time as a Wildcat.

Now, she’s looking to use her experiences to help the next generation of female hoopers.

Roper recently announced that she will be hosting a basketball academy, The Art of Hu$tle, right in Lexington, Kentucky, from August 2-4. This will be an all-girls camp for ages 6-18 and there is limited availability, so make sure to sign up sooner rather than later. You can do so by clicking the link here. More details will be released in the near future.

Very excited to announce the first annual Art of Hu$tle basketball academy. This basketball academy will be held in Lexington Ky. Come surround yourself and learn from some of the most talented current/ former Kentucky athletes! You can register with the link provided below. ❗️ pic.twitter.com/8HTLpTldnU

— Jai ✨ (@jaida_roper) July 14, 2021

“The 3 Day Academy is composed of organized workout stations that will strengthen fundamentals like ball handling, shooting, and finishing,” The camp’s description reads. “The players will be drafted to a coach who has played at the highest levels of basketball and they will compete for a championship to showcase their skills. While also improving on the court, campers will improve off the court by hearing from guest speakers such as Ashton Hagans and Bam Adebayo. Players will benefit from hearing real experiences and the different paths that was taken to reach success. The players will learn the real Art of Hustle.”

Roper has two special guest speakers lined up: former UK Men’s Basketball players Bam Adebayo and Ashton Hagans. She also plans to bring in former UK Women’s hoopers Makayla Epps and LaShae Halsel as instruction coaches along with current WBB Wildcat Rhyne Howard and former Georgetown College Men’s guard Eljay Cowherd. Not a bad group of players to learn from, huh?

All participants will receive a camp t-shirt sponsored by The 6ixth Man, which is the clothing company that Roper started shortly after she graduated from Kentucky.