For local hoopers and young fans of basketball, the Max Strus Basketball Camp has become a must-do on their summer bucket list.
St. Catherine sixth grader Emma Brophy is a two-time attendee of the camp and enjoys going with her friends and being able to learn from Strus, a six-year NBA veteran and Stagg graduate.
“It’s really fun to be at, it has a lot of energy,” Brophy said during the camp, which ran from July 14-18 at Stagg. “My friends are here and it’s nice to see an NBA player.”
It’s the fourth consecutive summer Strus, a Cleveland Cavaliers forward, has hosted his summer camp at his alma mater.
As in years past, Strus had some special guests: NBA players Herb Jones, Caleb Martin and Keegan Murray as well as DePaul coach Chris Holtman and Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson.
First-time camper Mohamed Mahmoud made some new friends and enjoyed all the games and drills, but was ecstatic about meeting Strus and his NBA peers.
“There’s a lot of new kids I met and I learned some new things,” Mahmoud said. “Also, it’s nice to have new experiences like meeting NBA players.”
Like Mahmoud, this was Atkinson’s first time at Strus’ camp. He commended the efforts of not just his player, but the whole Strus family for the well-run camp.
“Some of my best memories are going to camp as a kid,” Atkinson said. “You can see how much it means to him and to the community. He’s got his family involved and the community is here.”
Strus is always looking at ways to improve himself, the camp and his communities. Back in January, he launched the Max Strus Family Foundation.
“Our mission is to create a sense of community and give back to all the places that I lived and helped me grow as an individual and professionally,” Strus said.
As in previous years, Strus continued his support of the Andrew Weishar Foundation by donating $50,000 to the organization.
But he was not done there.
Since the beginning of his foundation in January, Strus has raised about $100,000 for various communities including those near his hometown.
At this year’s camp, he announced the start of the Gary Strong Award. It’s named in honor of his longtime best friend Jacob Wimmer’s dad, Gary Wimmer, who died in August 2024 after a four-year battle with esophageal cancer.
“He showed such strength and courage along the way and we’re going to do this award under his name,” Strus said. “We are going to find people fighting a battle that inspires us to be a better person and (to show) that you can do hard things.”
The first recipient of the award is Oak Forest sophomore volleyball player Paityn Castillo for her fight with Guillain-Barre syndrome. Her dad, Reggie, was a longtime trainer at Stagg helping the Strus family and countless other athletes.
“It’s an honor,” Castillo said. “It means so much to have all the support.”
“She lost all the feeling across her body, but after six months is back walking,” Strus said. “She went through it all and now she’s inspiring others to do more.”
Strus is not done with the camps either. For the first time ever, he is hosting a camp in Cleveland on Aug. 16.
“I’m excited,” Strus said. “It’s a different community, and a different space to touch the lives of so many new groups of kids. This camp is awesome. It’s home.”