Kyrie Irving was a standout for St. Patrick in New Jersey. Now he provides opportunities for young basketball players in the state to pursue their dreams.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Kyrie Irving has been able to make his dreams a reality, and he wants to offer the opportunity for young basketball players to do the same.
Irving is hosting his second annual Kyrie Irving Basketball Pro Camp this week on the campus of Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J. — minutes from his hometown of West Orange, N.J. The camp, which began Sunday and will end Tuesday, boasts the area's top basketball coaches and has 160 campers from first grade through high school.
"When I was younger I always said I wanted to give back and that's what I'm doing," said Irving. "Seeing kids smile and actually giving back is more of a dream for me."
The three-day camp stresses having a complete basketball game, focusing on shooting efficiency and defensive efficiency. The camp partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to provide camp scholarships to disadvantaged youth. Nike, Citi, Skullcandy headphones, GNC, and Spalding are a few of the camp's sponsors.
Kyrie Irving, St. Patrick (2010)
Photo by Louis Lopez
It appears kids in the camp are enjoying their experience so far.
Mustafa Lawrence, a rising sophomore at
Newark Tech (N.J.) likes what he's seen so far during the camp, and enjoys rubbing elbows with famous players.
"It's a great opportunity," said Lawrence. "I'm learning fundamentals."
Kyrie's father Drederick Irving played at Boston University and professionally overseas. He's happy that his son has his own camp.
"This has always been a goal of ours," said the elder Irving. "As a parent it's good to see him do the things that he's doing and see him grow."
As important as basketball is, Kyrie hopes to pass on practical wisdom that he learned in his home to the campers.
"Life comes first and your dreams come second," said Irving. "Whatever you want just go for it."
Bryce Aiken, a rising sophomore at Irving's alma mater,
Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), is soaking in the whole experience and likes that Irving remembers his New Jersey roots.
"It's a fun experience being here with Kyrie, one of the best point guards in the league," said Aiken. "It's pretty cool for him to come back to New Jersey and work with us."
Irving isn't just representing the state of New Jersey these days. He was invited to USA Basketball camp in Las Vegas, which runs July 22-25. He'll reunite with his Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and join fellow young NBA stars Damian Lillard, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Jrue Holliday and others.
"Bringing all of those great NBA players together and playing in front of the fans in Vegas is something I'm looking forward to," Irving said.
So what advice would he give to kids hoping to play Division I basketball and make it to the NBA one day?
"Anything is truly possible," he said. "I came from just being a normal kid doing normal daily things and I just worked my tail off to where I wanted to be."
Brandon
Robinson is freelance writer for MaxPreps. He may be reached at ContactScoopB@gmail.com.
Follow him on Twitter @ScoopB
