National Basketball Association (NBA) star Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets hosted a two-day camp in Montego Bay last weekend to provide young student-athletes with the tools and resources to improve their skills.
The scorching heat did not hinder the massive turnout of 400 student athletes at the camp held at Mount Alvernia High School from September 6-7.
“I am having fun and doing what I love. I get to teach the game and all my tricks to the young kids that want to learn,” Murray said.
“I just saw them go about the game with the love for it. They don’t really have the tools here to get better, so I am just trying to provide them with some of that,” he added.
Murray and his father, Westmoreland-born Roger, provided sports gear such as shoes, hats, shirts, and bags for the participants.
The NBA player is no stranger to the island. In 2019, he hosted a successful two-day camp at the Montego Bay Community College. Sports and basketball gear and books were donated. Also in attendance at that camp was former Toronto Raptors NBA player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
“I would love to try and do this as many times as I can,” declared Murray. “I just want it to keep getting better and give them more things to look forward to. It is not only the teachings but everything we are willing to provide resource-wise is super important,” he added.
The 28-year-old point guard, who is going into his 10th NBA season, was drafted seventh overall. He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky.
He was interactive in the drills at the camp and showed techniques and gave advice to the youngsters about the sport and their development.
Some of the high schools that benefited were Herbert Morrison Technical High, Holland High, The Queens School, Cornwall College, Mount Alvernia, and St James High.
Murray also emphasised the importance of fostering a love for the game and helping athletes test and develop their skills.
“It is super important to give back to a developing country like Jamaica. There is a lot of love for the game out here, and I don’t want that to go to waste. I just want to give them the opportunity to have fun and really test their skills. I think that is most important, seeing them shine,” said Murray.
The senior Murray expressed his commitment to supporting the basketball camp and helping them to develop their skills.
“Obviously, we want to improve it and make it better for kids so we can look back and say that we can see something from the grass roots coming,” said Roger.
“The knowledge we give them, they can share with other kids,” Roger added.
Herbert Morrison’s Rafael Stephenson encouraged other young basketballers to participate in such camps to elevate their game to the next level.
“Jamal came to me personally and helped. He saw that I was struggling a bit, and he moved my game in a positive way,” said Stephenson.
“I recommend (these camps) to Jamaican basketballers to enhance their skills and gain exposure. It will bring your game to the next level. Work for these opportunities. You may get scholarships. You never know,” added Stephenson.