Young campers learn fundamentals of basketball

Bradley and his team of coaches are currently in Trinidad for the Avery Bradley Skills Academy being held at the National Cycling Velodrome in Couva, which began yesterday.

Over 100 Primary and Secondary school students learnt the fundamentals of the game and participated in shooting competitions on the opening day.

Bradley said he is enjoying his time in TT, especially since his wife is from this country.

“It is a pleasure (to meet the children). It is a blessing definitely for me to finally make my dream come true. I always wanted to come down here and be able to put on a camp. My wife is from here and I always told her I want to come here and help the kids.” The Celtics player said he tries to be available as much as possible, and hopes the youngsters at the camp will give back when they are in a position to do so.

“I think it is really important (to give back), we (NBA players) are like a myth, you don’t really see us all the time and you just hear about some guys. I try to make myself accessible for everybody that is why I do so many camps. We do six, seven camps a year. I am at every camp all day, every day.

“I want the kids to know that this is important.

If they get in my position with whatever they do in life, I want them to have that same mindset of giving back. That is what it is all about.” Bradley said it is necessary for the campers to learn the basics of basketball before they attempt what they see on television.

“We want to teach them the basics. A lot of kids, they just want to do the Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors ace point guard) step-back threes or the dunks. You have to be able to dribble the ball first, you have to be able to shoot a shot, a proper shot. That is what we want to teach those guys. We are getting there.” Bradley also said he knew it was important for him to concentrate on his academics.

He said getting good grades in high school allowed him to go to college and fulfil his dream of playing in the NBA.

One youngster who is enjoying the experience at the camp is Trinity College East student Israel Sylvester.

After the opening day, the six-foot three Sylvester said, “It was good seeing Avery Bradley. It was my first time I ever saw an NBA player. It was really exciting to see him.” Sylvester said he is learning a lot at the camp. “The coaches trained us really well and overall it was a nice experience. I learned to always keep my follow through and to keep very low on defence.” Sylvester, who is 16 years old and plays the centre position, has dreams of playing in the NBA. “Hopefully I will play in the NBA and I will play for the (Cleveland) Cavaliers, or if I get on another team that will be really nice.” Sylvester said the Cavaliers duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, along with Golden State Warriors player Kevin Durant, are his favourite players in the NBA.

Concerning the remainder of the camp Sylvester said, “Hopefully I will get a picture with Avery. I will also like to get some dunks when we scrimmaging and just have fun overall.”