The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - The weather couldn't have cooperated more beautifully for a day on the slopes shooting Snow Hoops with former Seattle Supersonic and sixtime NBA champion Shawn Kemp, said new Ski Bluewood co-owner Mike Stephenson.

"Overall, the past week's skiing has been some of the best we've ever had, easily the best of the year," Stephenson said. Conditions were cold, and since last week the resort's seen almost five feet of snow accumulate.

"It's just beautiful," Stephenson said. "What a blessing, to have that kind of snow and those temperatures. What good timing for this event, for Shawn to come up.

Kemp, with 3BA International Co-Founder Brenda Beamer Ford of Walla Walla, visited Bluewood on Saturday to promote 3BA, a 3-on- 3 full-court basketball game, and to explore the possibility of starting youth basketball camps on the mountain.

"It was really awesome," Stephenson said. "Shawn had so many good ideas; we had a very long talk focused around youth and family events. I just had a good feeling about everything and about his genuine enthusiasm. It was fun and inspiring."

Ford was pumped after the event, feeling optimistic about the future of basketball on the mountain.

"It was fantastic," she said. "The parking lot was full, everybody was smiling. Shawn had a blast."

With many basketball tournaments going on over the weekend, many people were disappointed they couldn't attend. "We're going to be sure not to have it on the same day next year," she said.

And next year is a definite possibility, both she and Stephenson said.

"We hope to do it again next year," Stephenson said. "And he's gotten really excited about the idea of doing a basketball camp up here. We think it'd be great. Shawn said, 'I've got several portable basketball courts.' Wouldn't that be cool?"

The youth camp Ford and Kemp want to explore for Bluewood was inspired by the Conifers Basketball Camp at Snoqualmie Pass that was started in 1960 by Chuck Randall, Earlie McKie and Ray Thacker as one of the first of its kind in the country.

Created to intensify basketball training for athletes, it ran for 14 years until the Conifer Lodge burned down in 1974.

Saturday's event included three basketball hoops set up for skiers to shoot from their skis or snowboards with a chance to win ski gear, seasons passes and other prizes. Kemp signed autographs for over an hour during the afternoon.