Alex English Basketball Camp Returns to Dreher High School

Alex English Basketball Camp Is Back at Dreher High School

The Alex English basketball camp has returned to Dreher High School in Columbia, South Carolina, giving young players a chance to learn from one of the NBA's all-time greats on his home turf. English, a Hall of Fame forward who grew up in Columbia and starred at Dreher before his professional career, has made the camp a recurring event tied directly to the community that shaped him.

According to reporting by WIS News 10, the camp is designed to go well beyond basic basketball instruction. English and his staff have built the program around a broader message for the kids who attend.

More Than a Basketball Clinic

English has been clear about what he wants participants to take away. The camp covers skill development, but organizers place equal weight on character, discipline, and life skills. The idea is that the habits young athletes build on the court carry over into school and everyday life.

That philosophy fits with how English has approached his post-playing career. Since retiring from the NBA, where he spent much of his prime with the Denver Nuggets and led the league in scoring during the 1982-83 season, he has stayed active in player development and community outreach. Returning to Dreher gives those efforts a personal dimension that a generic facility simply could not replicate.

For many of the campers, working on their game at the same school where English first developed his own is a tangible connection to his story. Dreher has produced other notable athletes over the years, but English remains its most prominent basketball alumnus.

Why Dreher High School Matters to This Camp

Holding the camp at Dreher is a deliberate choice, not just a logistical convenience. English has spoken about the importance of giving back to the specific neighborhood and school system that supported him as a young player. Columbia's Dreher High sits in a community where access to high-level coaching and instruction is not guaranteed, which makes a free or low-cost camp from a credentialed NBA veteran a meaningful resource for local families.

Organizers have kept the focus on youth development in a structured, supervised environment. Campers get repetitions in fundamental skills, but they also hear directly from English and other staff about what it takes to succeed beyond the game itself. That combination, hard work on the court paired with real-world guidance, is the core pitch English makes to parents and kids alike.

The return of the camp to Dreher signals that English intends to keep the program rooted in Columbia rather than letting it drift into a broader, more commercial format. For a city that claims him as one of its own, that commitment carries weight.