Child gets chance to meet Coach Cal, play with pros

By: Kristen Kennedy - Email

Updated: Fri 10:25 PM, Aug 03, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Coach Calipari's summer Prasco Pro Camps are chances for youth across the Bluegrass to learn from some of the best. This year, Fifth Third Bank is paying the way for a kid from the Lexington Dream Factory to attend the camp.

For a few days in the summer, the smallest of Wildcat fans get to train with the pros. Kids in kindergarten, all the way up to seniors in high school get a chance to dribble, pass and shoot in Coach Cal's presence. For six-year-old Nickolas Samples, there's only drill he loves -

"Shooting," Nickolas said, grinning ear to ear.

Doctors diagnosed Nickolas with a form of leukemia last year.

"He'd only been sick for about two weeks, other than being tired he didn't really have a lot of symptoms other than that," explained dad Todd Samples, "he's doing great now. He finished treatment. His last treatment was April the 28. Since then he's been doing real well. All of his tests have come back negative so he's in full remission now."

The bank behind the funding for Nickolas's days at camp, Fifth Third, said this is the second year they've been able to make a child's dreams come true.

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