Coaches pose at Walter Jordan's 2023 basketball camp in Fort Wayne, which was held May 30-June 2 at Northrop. This year's iteration of the camp starts Monday and runs through Thursday.

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Walter Jordan was not supposed to be here.

The former Northrop and Purdue basketball star will play host to a hoops camp for the third consecutive year in his hometown of Fort Wayne, starting Monday, but that possibility seemed remote until recently.

Jordan, the 6-foot-7 forward who in 1974 led the Bruins to the only state and semistate boys basketball titles in their history, has in the last eight months had a pair of major surgeries in quick succession, one an open-heart operation and the other to deal with cancer in one of his kidneys.

"I didn't think this camp was going to be possible this year," Jordan said. "I didn't know what my situation was. I think I'm a walking miracle."

Jordan's condition was so dire at one juncture that on a post-surgery follow-up visit with his cardiologist, the doctor was surprised to see him.

"She said, 'Mr. Jordan, I'm so just happy to see you,' " he told The Journal Gazette. "I said, 'Doc, what do you mean?' She said, 'I didn't expect to see you again. That's how severe you were.' "

Jordan, 68, endured a seven-month recovery from his surgeries, during which his wife and brother conspired to take his phone away from him so he could rest and avoid overtaxing his compromised immune system.

During those months, the former Purdue star, who played for the team from 1974 to 1978, ranks 10th in program history in career points with more than 1,800, and who was inducted into the Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022, was able to watch his alma mater romp through the NCAA Tournament on their way to their first appearance in the national championship game since 1969. He called watching the team therapeutic and appreciated coach Matt Painter and assistant coach Brandon Brantley reaching out to encourage him in his recovery.

"This is the stuff that people don't see," Jordan said. "They just helped me so much, the Purdue run, not because they were winning games, but because of the character of the kids and they were having success."

The Monday prior to the Final Four in April, doctors told Jordan he was cleared to be around people again. He called the Purdue basketball office the same day and said he'd like to see the team play in Phoenix. Within a week, he was watching the Boilermakers on college basketball's biggest stage.

"First time out of the house in 7 1/2 months, I got to go to the Final Four," he said. "I was like in heaven. … It motivated me to really get up and make this stuff happen, to get excited about the camps and life and choose to live, not die and thank god he's given me strength to get through this and get stronger every day."

Jordan will play host to five camps this summer, including the one in the Summit City that runs for four days starting Monday. The camp, known as the Hoops & Standards Basketball Camp, will take place from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. and is open to boys and girls ages 11 to 17. It will be held at Northrop and will cost $125 for the week.

Those who wish to sign up can do so by going to walterjordan.com/camp.

Campers will receive shirts, reversible jerseys, snacks and a wall poster. There will be plenty of basketball, but Jordan emphasizes there will also be life lessons imparted.

"We're using basketball to teach these kids," said Jordan, who will also have nieces and nephews at the camp. "In this world where everything is transfer portal, NIL (name, image, and likeness), free lunches, it's time for us to invest in our kids and be honest with them. … It takes what it takes, let them know to be competitive. … The secret is there ain't no secret. The secret is you gotta bust your butt.

"This is so much bigger than a basketball camp. If this were only about basketball, I wouldn't be coming. … I wouldn't be working hard to get my butt in some kind of shape where I can stand up for four straight days. These kids mean everything to me."

Among the coaches at the camp, which has "Wired to Win" as its theme, will be Northrop girls basketball coach Katie Jackson and her son, Jalen Jackson, a former Carroll and Northrop star who now plays for Purdue Fort Wayne. Jordan has also arranged as a guest speaker former IU star Ray Tolbert, who won a national title with the Hoosiers in 1981.

Jordan feels blessed to be able to hold the camp this year and believes it can be evidence he practices what he preaches when it comes to perseverance.

"(Kids) want to see, 'OK, coach Jordan is always talking this stuff, he's going through so much now, let's see how he's going to fight back,' see how he's going to battle and be tough," he said. "I just felt like I had to do it this year. I feel really good."

Coaches pose at Walter Jordan's 2023 basketball camp in Fort Wayne, which was held May 30-June 2 at Northrop. This year's iteration of the camp starts Monday and runs through Thursday.

Walter Jordan, right, in action for Northrop during a 1974 game at Memorial Coliseum.