Basketball great Payton coming to the coulee

Local kids can work on basketball and more in a clinic with retired basketball great Gary Payton next week.

Athletic Director Rich Black said Tuesday afternoon he had just learned the high school gym had been scheduled for a clinic hosted by Payton, who played point guard for the Seattle Sonics for 13 years and won the National Basketball Association championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat.

Known as “The Glove” for his uncanny ability on defense, Payton will be featured in the “Rise Above” clinic April 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A poster says the clinic will emphasize three “skills” — basketball, education and prevention — and will encourage attendees to “be a pro at being you.”

It states the first 75 students ages 5-12 to register get in free, as do the first 75 13- to 18-year-olds, with tribal members given preference. It does not specify an admission price after that.

The event is sponsored by The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.