The Creighton men’s and women’s basketball teams held their ninth annual Creighton Abilities Basketball Camp on Friday.
The Bluejays hosted approximately 100 children with special needs between the ages of 6 and 13 at the teams’ practice facilities and D.J. Sokol Arena. Creighton’s student-athletes, managers and members of the coaching staffs worked with Bluejay physical therapy students to give the children an opportunity to participate in activities related to basketball and agility skills.
“This is the best day of the year for our players, and it’s just what Creighton’s all about,” men’s head coach Alan Huss told reporters. “You’re talking about a collaborative effort between men’s and women’s basketball, the physical therapy department, the university as a whole. Events like this, days like this are why I’m at Creighton and why I’m proud to be a part of this place.”
The Creighton athletes and other camp counselors helped the children engage in a variety of activities including relay races, shooting baskets, playing games and more. The players concluded the camp by shooting hoops. They also signed autographs, and the children received jerseys with the number 26 on the back.
“I’m just really grateful to the men’s staff and the men’s team to get us on board with this four or five years ago when we started doing it,” women’s head coach Jim Flanery told reporters. “I just think it’s powerful for our players to have. As much as you can say we’re impacting the kids, the kids are impacting our players too …
Creighton Bluejay Kiani Lockett talks to a camper during their yearly abilities camp on June 5, 2026, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
“What these special kids can give us in terms of perspective, I think, is really valuable. We talked about how young we are, so for even our freshmen to get to see that, I think it’s great, so just really fortunate to be a part of it.”
Freshman point guard Katrelle Harmon has a close connection to the camp’s purpose. He said that he has a nephew with autism.
“I knew there were some disabilities, I didn’t know there was a lot like this,” Harmon said. “Every person is normal, whether they’re autistic, have Down syndrome, they’re all normal, they all deserve to have a good life. I feel like it just opened my eyes to what other people are going through, because I feel like I’m going through a lot, but obviously I’m not going through that much.”
Harmon said seeing the joy on the children’s faces was important.
“Just talking to the kids, weather they make a shot, miss a shot, the smile on their face just means a lot,” Harmon said.
Junior forward Jackson McAndrew echoed the sentiment.
“It’s awesome,” McAndrew said of the camp. “I look forward to this day every year, the last three years now. It’s great just being able to work with these kids and being able to give them joy. They look up to us, so to be able to spend time, get to know them, know about them and play basketball with them, it’s so much fun.”
McAndrew said he enjoyed playing one-on-one basketball with the campers.
“The whole time is just great getting to teach them things,” McAndrew said. “I like just getting to know them, getting to know their names, getting to spend time hanging out with them, high-fives, and just seeing the joy on their face is always a lot of fun.”
The basketball players have fun on the court, but McAndrew said he realizes the effect that they have off of it.
“We’re here to go take classes at Creighton, get a good education and also play basketball, but it’s also a lot bigger than basketball,” McAndrew said. “We have such an effect on the community, and all these kids look up to us, so just being able to give back and spend time with them, not only is it a joy, I hope, for these kids, but also for us. We can look back and just be grateful that we’re in the position that we’re in, and use that for good, and hopefully to share love and joy to all these kids.”
The junior said he hopes the children had fun.
“I hope they had a great three hours, and I hope they can take some things basketball-wise, but most importantly just take away that joy of playing, and that joy of being around us and all the rest of the campers,” McAndrew said. “So I hope they go home happy and had a good day of basketball.”
Harmon said he wants the children to know that the players and community will always support them.
“They have people in every corner that they look too,” Harmon said. “They can go to anyone, whether it’s high school, college, pros, everyone’s just looking out for them. They’ve all got their backs.”
