Encouraging a child to follow their dreams helps develop confidence as they mature. Children feel good when an adult they respect acknowledges their talent and intelligence, while recognizing the potential they have to succeed in life.

Donna Brown-Wynn hosts a basketball camp for children 6 to 17 years old in Vicksburg. Among those in her camp, she sees Divison-1 college basketball talent in Keshawn Brown.

“If someone can bring him in and say ‘look, I’m going to work with you three times a week for an hour’ you’d see an unbelievable difference in this kid,” Brown-Wynn said.

At 12 years old, Brown can touch the rim of a 10-foot goal. Brown displayed quickness in his feet helping him get up-and-down the floor fast.

Family friends and Brown-Wynn describe Brown as a well-mannered, well-groomed kid who is in tune with everything around him. They also say Brown is a good student academically.

Sylvia Brown is a friend of the family and also recognizes Brown’s potential. Sylvia believes as long as he keeps up the good work he will do well in life.

“Basketball has been one of the fundamentals that has taken on the heights of people. He is really doing a wonderful job,” Sylvia said.

Sylvia said she would love to see Brown go further in life with basketball. She believes he has all he skills and just needs a little pushing.

Brown began playing basketball in the fourth grade and will start the seventh grade this fall. Brown felt good after hearing the positive things Brown-Wynn said about him during the second day of the Play 2 Wynn basketball camp. His favorite parts of the game are dribbling and shooting.

“I like to play the small forward position,” Brown said.

Brown’s choice to play the small forward position along with favoring the dribbling and shooting aspects of the game, are a great foundation for his career. Brown’s favorite player in the NBA is the four-time MVP LeBron James.

“He is always winning”

Brown-Wynn noticed the speed and length of Brown during her camp and knows how it could translate on to the court. She said he is a great teammate, helpful and extremely coachable. Brown-Wynn said as a coach, you want someone that listens, takes in the things you are teaching, and applies it to the game. Even if they don’t know to do it, all she wants her players to is try.

Brown-Wynn can see Brown, as he gets older, developing a game similar to Kevin Durant.

Durant plays the position Brown likes to play and is 6-feet-10-inches tall, but shoots the ball from the 3-point line with ease. She knows that Brown has unlimited talent but just needs someone to polish his skills as he gets older.

“I just wish I was here to do it,” Brown-Wynn said.

Brown-Wynn critiqued Brown’s fundamentals and said he still shoots the ball with his feet close together, needs more bounce and needs to learn to set his feet shoulder width apart when shooting the ball. Brown-Wynn complimented Brown for doing the necessary things a 12-year-old basketball player should do.

Brown has six years before he starts applying for colleges and distractions will come his way.

Brown-Wynn stressed the importance of Brown surrounding himself with like-minded people to keep himself focused and on the right path to be successful.

“You’re dealing with a lot of peer pressure. You’re dealing with a lot of things in and away from school,” Brown-Wynn said.

“You got to be around people that have your goals. He says he has goals to play in college. You have to be around people that want to play in college or simply go to college.”