AJ Storr played high school basketball in Kankakee and Las Vegas. He played prep school basketball in Arizona and attended graduate school in Florida. He was a college basketball star at St. John’s and Wisconsin before moving the next year to Kansas.
But he’s not from any of those places. He’s from Rockford. And proud of it. Storr, and her equally well-traveled sister, will return to Rockford to host a free youth basketball camp at the downtown YMCA from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10.
“I remember where I came from,” said Storr, who was on Rockford Lutheran’s freshman team before his family moved to Kankakee but never played a varsity game at Rockford. “I fell in love with basketball in Rockford, Illinois. I want to help kids who have big dreams, help them take this basketball thing to the next level.
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“We have many memories of playing basketball, especially at the YMCA, where the camp will be held. Holding camp is a surreal feeling. The YMCA is where we spend most of our time playing basketball.”
Storr held his own youth camp last summer in Wisconsin, but is excited to host this one in conjunction with his older sister.
“We’re very close,” Storr said. “From first to fifth grade, we always played on the same basketball team. We have always had a strong bond. We’re just trying to give back to the community and point kids in the right direction.”
Ambranette Storr is the only sophomore to be named first-team All-State by The Associated Press in Rockford history. The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 23.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and shot 53 percent at Lutheran when she was named to the 2018 Class 3A All-State team. her final two seasons with Kankakee and finished with 2,913 career points, 12th in state history in Illinois women’s basketball.
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Ambranette Storr started at Drake, then played at two junior colleges before not playing much at Detroit Mercy the last two years. She is now a graduate student and will play this year at Southwest Baptist University.
“She had some serious injuries that pushed her back a little bit,” AJ Storr said of her sister. “She will get back on track. She is hardworking. I know she will go to her new college, work hard, compete and make the best of her situation.”
While Ambranette was an immediate star in high school but has yet to make a huge mark in college, AJ has been the exact opposite. He didn’t have a single NCAA Division I offer before his junior season, but became a top-150 recruit almost instantly after moving to live with his father in Las Vegas his senior year.
He made the Big East all-freshman team at St. John’s but transferred after the school fired the coach who recruited him. Storr transferred to Wisconsin, where he made second-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore, criticized by both the media and his coaching staffs. He averaged 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. The Badgers were ranked No. 6 in the country at one point, but faded late and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Now, Storr will play at Kansas, which many predict will open the season as the No. 1 team in the country.
“It was very easy to choose Kansas,” Storr said. “I went to Kansas in high school, so I already knew the coaching staff. Kansas is a great program and I can come in and make an immediate impact. It was kind of obvious to me.”
The Storr Brothers Camp is for children ages 6 to 14. AJ said he never went to camp when he was so young, but he thinks it’s the perfect age for him to help others.
“I want to keep in touch with young people. Youth is the future of everything,” said Storr, who hopes to attract up to 200 boys and girls this year and also hopes to make his youth camps an annual event.
“I want to install motivation,” he said. “Try to be a leader to the kids if they want guidance. I want to motivate kids, let them know that you can achieve anything in the world as long as you work at it, have faith in yourself and stay focused on it. My sister and I look forward to hearing any questions they have for us. I hope there are some girls there who will get involved with my sister. I’m here to answer any questions they have.
“We want to impact them and motivate them to pursue their dreams.”
Storr Brothers Basketball Clinic
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Day: Saturday, August 10, 2020
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Time: 10am to 1pm
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Where: Downtown YMCA, 200 Y Blvd., Rockford, IL 61107
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Cost: Free, for the first 200 or so to sign up
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Ages: 6 to 14
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How to participate: Although the 3-hour clinic is free for children ages 6-14, pre-registration is required. Due to limited space, visitors will not be accepted. To register, send an email to: ajamberclinicrockford@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared in the Rockford Register Star: AJ Storr and sister to hold free youth basketball clinic in Rockford
