NEWPORT, R.I. — Viking Hoops Basketball Camp marked its 30th year this July with a homecoming at Rogers High School, returning to the place where the program’s founder spent more than two decades coaching the Vikings.
Jim Psaras started Viking Hoops in 1995 with a straightforward goal: bring basketball to Aquidneck Island in an accessible way and give young players a safe, fun environment to learn and grow. He had been the Rogers boys basketball head coach since 1988 — a run of 26 seasons — and was a physical educator in Newport Public Schools and a lifelong Newporter. Over the decades, thousands of campers came through the program, drawing young athletes from around the state, the country, and beyond.
Psaras passed away from cancer in 2022. Longtime coach and former camper Josie Chaves served as interim director before Julia Psaras, Jim’s daughter, took over as camp director in 2025.
Julia, a licensed child and adolescent therapist, has kept her father’s emphasis on character at the center of the program. “Being a Good Person” — a message her father instilled in campers for three decades — remains the camp’s core.
Much of the staff has grown up in the program itself, returning as coaches and counselors to give back to the camp they once attended as campers. This year’s team includes Rob McEvoy, Raleigh Brennan, DJ Robinson, Danaysha Cherry, Alex Toribio, Pat Cranson, Izzy Booth, and Gab Decomo.
All photos by Justin Walker/What’sUpNewp.
