National Basketball Association

Wade returns to court - for his fantasy camp

Published Aug. 20, 2011 4:08 a.m. ET

foxsports

Dwyane Wade has the basketball on the wing. Tom Crean is setting up a play. Scattered around the court are a number of players, many nodding in unison.

No, this wasn't Marquette, circa 2003.

Welcome to the inaugural Dwyane Wade Fantasy Camp, where 100 or so men between the ages of 35 to 68 are spending four days with Wade, Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga, Florida Atlantic coach Mike Jarvis, former Duke star Jay Williams and a slew of others - with everything taking place at a posh Miami Beach hotel, all for $12,500 per person.

''We learned a lot from each other. Continue to do,'' said Crean, Wade's coach at Marquette and now the coach at Indiana. ''And he's not only a player that I've coached and a person that I love. I'm inspired by what he does. I'm inspired by what he does on the court and looking at what he's done as a person, as a man, as a father, as a businessman, those things are just fantastic.''

So through Sunday, this group of campers is getting a close-up look at what Wade's all about.

The star Miami Heat guard is mingling with the guys, taking pictures, teasing them about their games, and giving them a glimpse of what makes him tick. On Friday, the first full day of the camp (it began Thursday with orientation and a player draft, among other events), Wade and Crean spent more than 30 minutes breaking down aspects of pick-and-roll offense before taking some questions and sending the campers off for some games.

''Just like old times,'' said Wade of working with the coach who helped him to the 2003 NCAA Final Four.

It's all happening inside a massive hotel ballroom, with three full courts set up inside. Wade was worried at first that the ceiling - 15 feet, maybe a bit higher - would be too low to allow for decent play. That concern was quickly erased when the 2006 NBA finals MVP took some shots of his own, his normal arc having plenty of room to spare.

''This is the first year and we're going to get better from here,'' Wade said. ''At the end of the day, like I told all of the campers here, we all have something in common - and it's the love of the game. Everyone's here because of the love of the game.''

Part of Friday's session was a question-and-answer period, where Wade let the campers ask whatever they wanted. One particular question seemed to bring out an especially good answer, when someone asked how he can get better.

''I've done a lot of great things in eight years. So what?'' Wade said. ''I've got to figure out in the next wave of my career, how do I get better? ... In my mind, I have what I feel is a next level. And I have a blueprint in front of me. I have the Michael Jordans of the world. I have the Kobe Bryants of the world. I have these guys that are showing what's the next level.''

And he said his teammates with the Heat, especially LeBron James and Chris Bosh, will join him in a quest to keep improving - which is what he was trying to teach his campers how to do.

''The only way the Miami Heat gets better is if individually I come back better, if individually LeBron comes back better, if individually Chris comes back better,'' Wade said. ''So going forward, I know that every year, my role might change. At the end of the day, it's about team success. Individual success, I've had it, I've done it. Team success is way better.''

Wade has had a busy summer, with trips to Europe and China, business in New York and Los Angeles, and an upcoming ''Wade's World'' weekend in Chicago ahead, along with more appearances in September. He also worked a number of camps for kids, and found a lot of what works with them doesn't necessarily hold with the older customers.

It's very different,'' Wade said. ''Obviously with the kids, there's a lot of whistles being blown. These guys are veterans of camps. ... They kind of know what they like. They know what they're expecting. We asked them what they want to do, and they want to play. So they'll be very sore by Sunday.''