Mayor Bing appears at Greg Kelser's basketball camp

With a collection of wide and attentive eyes focused on his every move, NBA Hall-of-Famer and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing made sure the campers at Greg Kelser’s basketball and mentoring camp knew just how important they are to the renaissance of his city.

“We can’t afford to lose the kind of talent that you possess,” said Bing during his 15-minute speech to the soon-to-be-high schoolers. “We need your talent to stay here and help us bring the city back."

Bing appeared Thursday as a personal favor to Kelser.

“All he asked me was, ‘When is it? Where is it and when do you want me there?’,” said Kelser. “That’s all he needed to know."

Bing’s involvement was indicative of the wide reach of this special mentoring camp.

“We can take the kids now and put them in a classroom setting,” said Kelser. “We’ve got wonderful volunteers and mentors coming in teaching those exercises. So (the kids) get to spend 25% of the day in the classroom and 75% on the court."

We have quite an investment in helping our next generation of young people be prepared for the world they are going to face,” said Link Howard, the president and CEO of Powerlink, a presenting sponsor of Kelser’s camp. “By teaming Greg with his basketball skills and clinic with Winning Futures, I think we’ve hit a home run.”

A home run organizers can really brag about because of who exactly was involved.

“The kids are looking for opportunities,” said Kristina Marshall, president and CEO of Winning Futures, a company focused on mentoring programs that teamed with Kelser for this week’s event. “They’re looking for exposure. To have Mayor Bing come, not just as the mayor, but as a man that was so successful on the court and in business, he’s just an amazing role model for these young people.”