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Locals descended on Shelby County High School for the 15th edition of the Bobby Madison Basketball Camp in a week of fun and skills lessons that once again rekindled the ex-pro Madison’s love for the game. (Reporter Photos/Andrew Simonson)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

COLUMBIANA – One of Columbiana’s most beloved summer traditions hit a major milestone with the 15th edition of the Bobby Madison Basketball Camp.

The 2025 edition brought 85 kids from around the Birmingham area to Shelby County High School from June 23-26 to learn basketball skills from Madison’s group of experienced coaches. The fact that it’s the 15th camp is still surreal to Madison.

“There are times when I sit back and think, ‘Wow, 15 years of this is special,’” Madison said. “I’m a Columbiana kid. I grew up in this school. I grew up playing basketball right here, and to know that every year, the community comes out and supports, and the kids come in to have a good time and I get to teach them something that I love, the game of basketball, it’s special for me, really special.”

Just like in years past, campers worked on passing, shooting, ball-handling, dribbling and defense with drills and games throughout the week. They divided off into groups to learn from coaches in smaller settings while playing with campers at around their age and skill level.

Madison chalked up much of the success of the camp to his wife Courtney Madison, Elvin Hill Elementary School’s principal who also runs much of the logistics of the camp.

“It’s been really smooth,” Courtney said. “You can tell now we’ve kind of hit our groove.
We’ve gotten the systems in place that we know work, and so it has gone well. I feel like the kids have enjoyed themselves, and on the operations side, it has been a really smooth week.”

In her eyes, planning from their experience of running 14 other camps in the past helps inform their success year-after year. However, she is also quick to thank the coaches and family friends who come run the camp each year and assist Bobby in making it a great experience.

“We just start with planning,” Courtney said. “Part of it is the people. Our village, they always show up to make it easy and to make it smooth. We just make sure with anything like this, preparation and just anticipating the unexpected is always a big part of what we do to make sure the week goes well.”

One of those newer coaches was Spain Park freshman boys basketball coach LaDarren Smith, who trains multiple nationally-ranked players and brought them to the camp this week. Bobby thanked “Coach Sho” for helping level up the camp.

“Having him this week has been instrumental in keeping the focus for the kids and pushing them to another level,” Bobby said of Smith. “He’s been great.”

Courtney also credits Bobby’s Columbiana roots for making the camp one that people come back to each year. She believes he creates a warm and welcoming environment that encourages campers to have fun no matter their experience or skill level.

“I think it’s the hometown feel,” Courtney said. “Bobby is a hometown guy. And the campers, they not only learn fundamentals, but we also have fun. They have a great week. So even if you come with zero skills, you can still have a good time.”

For Bobby, his favorite part is interacting with the campers. He said he loves seeing the progression from day one to the end of the camp as they grow more comfortable with each other and the coaches.

“As always, it’s good to see the kids,” Bobby said. “It’s good to see the smiles on their faces when we walk in. Kids are not comfortable the first day, and day three, day four, they’re having a great time. They come in with a smile on their face and they’re just having a ball.”

It’s their energy and love for the game that Bobby loves seeing each year. After years of playing overseas and for Shelby County High School, he gets reminded during every camp of why he loved basketball growing up.

Now, as basketball continues to grow bigger in the Birmingham area and Alabama as a whole, Bobby still teaches the same life lessons and skills that he always has with the same joy and love for the game that he always has.

“I know I’m getting older, but every time I come in here, these kids make me feel young for a week out of the year,” Bobby said. “I feel like I can run around and I get that love and that feel for the game that I had 20-plus years ago when I played in this school, and it’s always just a good feeling for me.”

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