About 150 blooming basketball stars in their own right got to experience the moves of one of the game’s best players last Thursday at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
Zach Lavine of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who is also the National Basketball Association’s reigning slam dunk champion, came to the Drive Basketball academy for a one-day camp to teach kids from Grades 4-8 keys to basketball success, from rhythm of steps, shooting techniques, as well as discipline and work ethic.
“It’s rare we get a player of his calibre out here. The kids were all freaking out,” said Drive co-founder Pasha Bains.
“I told him he was getting the Michael Jordan treatment,” quipped Bains.
Lavine and his coach showed the young players basketball moves and spoke on how to succeed in the game. He then put on a slam-dunk show to the delight of the audience. Following that he fielded questions. One participant cheekily asked Lavine who was the most overrated player in the NBA, to which Lavine replied that all players are professionals to have made the league. He added, Kobe Bryant is his hero.
Lavine was selected in the first round of the 2014 NBA draft. As a rookie he averaged 10 points per game. At the NBA All-Star Weekend he became the youngest dunk champion since Bryant in 1997. At the camp he performed his dazzling ‘Space Jam’ dunk in which he bounces the ball high in the air, runs toward it, jumps, puts it through his legs and dunks the ball from behind. Needless to say, the kids erupted in cheers.
“It opened their eyes to have someone in flesh from the NBA,” said Bains, noting the two had known each other since a young age through regional basketball camps, as Lavine is originally from Washington State.
Drive Basketball not only runs summer camps but also fall club teams, out of the Oval. Furthermore, it has training sessions for boys and girls ages four to 18.
Bains, of Richmond High fame, created Drive with another past provincial star, Chad Clifford. Both are BC AAA High School MVPs who went on to play NCAA Division One basketball.
