By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When Topeka sports icons Kyle Weems and Michael Wilhoite launched their inaugural Big Kev Give Back Camp in 2022, they were thrilled with the results of the dual basketball/football event.
But Weems and Wilhoite also knew the camp could get bigger and better, something they saw first-hand on Friday.
Kyle Weems exchanges a hug with Ken Darting, his basketball coach at Highland Park, during Friday's second annual Big Kev Give Back Camp at Washburn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Mike Wilhoite partcipates in a passing drill with campers during Friday's Big Kev Give Back Camp at Washburn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Weems and Wilhoite, who are both Highland Park graduates and members of the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame, made the decision to move the 2023 camp from Shawnee Heights to the more centrally-located Washburn University campus and Friday's event drew more than 150 young athletes.
"It's unbelievable,'' said Weems, who just completed his 11th pro basketball season after starring at Highland Park and Missouri State. "Mike and I wanted to connect more with the inner city as well as the suburban kids. We wanted them from all over.
"We felt we had a good turnout last year but still wanted to get the inner city kids in here and give back because that's where we came from. That's what we know, that's who we are.''
Wilhoite, currently a linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos after a standout career at Hi Park and Washburn and a seven-year career in the NFL, was also thrilled with Friday's turnout.
"It's amazing, it's a dream come true,'' Wilhoite said. "This is what I envisioned -- the whole city coming out. And there's more to come out. They're going to hear about this, they're going to read about it and, 'Please come out'. This is for us. It's not for me, it's not for Kyle. It's for us and us is the city of Topeka.
"We've got higher hopes and they're elite higher hopes.''
The Big Kev Give Back Camp is named in honor of Kyle's late father, Kevin, a former Washburn University basketball player, who had a big impact on the athletic careers of both Weems and Wilhoite.
Topeka sports icons Michael Wilhoite (left) and Kyle Weems talk to campers Friday before the start of the afternoon session in the second annual Big Kev Give Back Camp at Washburrn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High graduate Tyrell Everett, now the defensive line coach at Pittsburg State, congratulates a camper during Friday's Big Kev Give Back Camp at Washburn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Weems and Wilhoite were surrounded by volunteer coaches who turned out to help with the event, including a large number of former local high school and college stars.
Weems said last year's camp was a good starting off point and that he and Wilhoite knew then that there were bigger things to come.
"We were still kind of coming out of Covid times last year and people weren't really sure if they were ready to be around multiple people all at once in an enclosed area and all that good stuff, but it ended up working out,'' Weems said. "We saw the potential and Mike had the idea to get it here at Washburn and I think it can be even better than what we have this year. We just want to give a big shout out and a thank you to Washburn University for giving us this opportunity to be able to do this.''
"I think we did a good job with our whole team of marketing this thing and getting it out there. It was a total team effort. Me and Mike hit the ground running months ago and to see it come to fruition today is pretty awesome.''
