What does new Orlando Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn, the Plastic Man Stacey Augmon and I have in common?
We all went to high school at John Muir in Pasadena.
In fact, when I was in middle school I attended Stacey Augmon's camp with my childhood friend Gheren Vitte at John Muir High School.
So now that I am in the NBA, where do I host my basketball camp?
John Muir High School.
Gheren, who is now a director at my camp, was the reason I went to that camp in the first place and who would have thought we'd have the opportunity to now give back. I take pride in giving back to Pasadena.
Growing up, in addition to Stacey Augmon's camp, Michael Cooper, Coach Rocky Moore and Tracy Murray all hosted camps for the youth in the city, and it is only right that I step up and follow in their footsteps.
Once drafted into the NBA, you become a role model to the youth with the obligation of giving back. I truly didn't understand that obligation to my community, but my agent Todd Ramasar had a long talk with me about the importance of having a camp.
My first camp went well and left me forever indebted to Todd for opening my eyes to the experience.
It's an opportunity to share important values about basketball, school and life. And you never know, there might be a kid I may affect that could be the next Ryan Hollins.
My favorite part about the camp is working with several of my childhood friends and teammates. My high school coach Don Grant comes back to run it every year. Something about that hot sweaty gym in the middle of the summer that takes me back to where it all started...I'd have it no other way.
This year though, the camp has a special meaning. Last August a high school teammate - kind of a big brother of mine - and one of our camp instructors Joseph Frazier was in a violent hit-and-run car accident and is still in a coma fighting to recover. I wouldn't be the player I am today if it wasn't for the example he set for me.
Joseph played an integral role in my first two camps, displaying and teaching the importance of hard work and extreme dedication to fulfilling one's dreams.
Joe just walks around with this glow; he's got a personality like none other. He easily became my most popular coach. All you'd hear the kids say around the gym is "where's coach Joe" and "can I stay at coach Joe's station?"
So this year, we are going to pay tribute to Joseph by having all of our camp shirts read his favorite basketball saying and the name of the coaching company he was building at time of accident: "Get Buckets."
It's going to be hard running the camp without my big brother.
