Former Valley standout holding basketball camp, tournament at alma mater

By: Greg Macafee
Monday, May 17, 2021 | 8:05 PM

Former Valley standout BJ Flenory is looking to give back to the area and honor the legends who came before him.

On Saturday and Sunday, Flenory will hold a free basketball skills camp and ensuing tournament for fourth graders from around the area at the basketball gym at Valley. The first 100 fourth graders wishing to participate can register for free by calling Flenory at 214-500-4032.

“It’s called the Valley Legends tournament because we want to pay homage to the guys who have come through Valley and paved the way for guys like myself in order to do what I’m doing,” Flenory said.

“My dad (B.B. Flenory), Billy Varner, all the way down to Bryce Flenory, Jamar Ballard, Ian Vincent, Toney Clemons, those guys have really shown kids in the community that you can take athletics and academics and do great things. This is just my way to give back.”

Participants will compete in a skills camp Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Players who participate in the camp then will be assigned to teams for the tournament.

“We’re just going to do a skills camp in the morning,” Flenory said. “So the fourth graders will come in, and they’ll do a skills camp in the morning, and then we’ll place them on teams and they’ll play in a tournament Saturday and Sunday after the skills camp.”

The camp and tournament will give fourth graders from the area a chance to hone their skills as well as compete in a tournament with teams coming from Texas, New York and New Jersey. But that’s not the only thing Flenory will be bringing to Valley.

Flenory, who owns a nationally successful business, Pylon, for 7-on-7 football tournaments, also will be holding a 7-on-7 football tournament for varsity and JV teams at the high school during the same weekend. The tournament will take place on the turf at the high school.

Flenory has held a tournament at Valley in the past, and it included players such former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Ryan Switzer and current Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith. Flenory believes bringing events like the Valley Legends tournament to his hometown can help the youth.

“I just want them to see that we play sports, too, and we get things done both on and off the court,” Flenory said. “You don’t have to go to the NBA or the NFL to be successful.

“You can use sports as a vehicle to get to college and then go off and get a great job and be a better husband, friend, teammate and worker. Those things are extremely important, but you just have to be able to see some things in order to believe it.”

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Valley