ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) —  Back in April, Gerard Iglesia spent 21 days in the ICU hoping he would make it to the 16th annual Iglesia Basketball Camp.

The longtime coach and co-founder of the free camp has been battling kidney disease for years, but a serious case of pneumonia sent him to the hospital. He was given two days to live, but miraculously recovered. Putting on his camp this summer has meant more than anything else.

“That was the thing that motivated me to get out of that hospital bed,” said Iglesia. “It feels so good to be back.”

Karen Iglesia, co-founder of the camp and Primetime Ballers, shared her husband was planning his camp in the ICU. He still needs a kidney, but the Iglesias are not giving up hope.

“This easily could have been in memorial of Gerard,” said Karen. “This camp is his legacy.”

Basketball players from 30 different school districts across Section V will spend the week developing their skills on and off the court. The event has multiple sponsors and received an outpouring of donations from across the community, including East High School, the site of the boys camp, and Monroe High School, the site of the girls camp.

The Iglesia’s camp is also an opportunity for local players to earn deeply-missed bragging rights associated with a title. The 2021 basketball season ended with the sectional tournament, so the best teams in the area were unable to compete against others statewide.

This week, players have the opportunity to compete with and against the best in the Rochester area.

“The competition at both JV and Varsity has never been better,” said Karen. “They want to prove themselves.”

The 16th annual Iglesia Basketball Camp runs June 28 to July 1.