ORLANDO -- Fourteen-year-old Damen Seals stepped to the mock photo booth, tugged an Orlando Magic hat down onto his head and proudly raised the authentic NBA jersey to his chest.
As camera flashes popped, Seals allowed himself to dream a little bit about possibly posing onstage following the NBA Draft in six years or so.
"Man, my future looks really bright â and I'm not just talking about the flash on the camera either," said Seals, a Pine Hills native. "I have a bright (future) as far as getting there (to the NBA) and before that, too."
Seals and about 80 other Orlando-area kids got to live out some of their NBA dreams on Tuesday at the Silver Star Community Park gym. Participating in the MAGIC FIT Draft Combine, the kids got instruction from Magic guard/forward Devyn Marble, assistant coach Conner Henry, Magic Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw and several Magic staffers. The athletes moved from station to station working on their dribbling, shooting, and footwork. They even were allowed to go through height measurements and the photo booth that simulated Draft Night for future NBA players.
Seals, a guard on his youth league team and an incoming freshman at Evans High School, found the event to be both helpful in terms of basketball and enlightening because of the opportunities presented. He had high praise for the Magic for taking an interest in kids in need of support and direction.
"It's great for the Magic to come out here and help us, because if they don't, who will?" Seals said. "A lot of kids around here don't have inspiration like this and I'm always hearing stories about how kids didn't have opportunities like this back in the day. I'm grateful that the Magic are taking an interest in us and giving us opportunities to learn."
MAGIC FIT is the organization's first-ever fitness and nutrition education program for youth. Following the NBA FIT guidelines, the program's goal is to improve the knowledge of healthy food choices and fitness exercises among at-risk children within Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties. NBA FIT is a comprehensive health and wellness platform promoting healthy, active lifestyles for children and adults.
The NBA FIT's purpose is to teach children the importance of physical activity and healthy living for children and families. MAGIC FIT recently held a Dance-Off at the Smith Center to encourage children to be active, and Tuesday's basketball camp was another activity in hopes of getting kids up and moving.
Marble, a second-year guard/forward who is coming off a strong showing in the Orlando Pro Summer League in July, was more than happy to help out teaching the kids basketball drills and life lessons.
"I just have a thing for kids and trying to help them learn different ways to have fun and compete," said Marble, who recently conducted a kids camp at his alma mater of the University of Iowa. "This is a good event that the Magic are throwing to promote health and fitness early on (in kids' lives) so that as they keep growing they will develop good habits with eating and exercising."
Marble, 22, said it's easy for him to relate to the kids in the camp because just 10 years earlier it was him on the basketball court harboring NBA aspirations and hoping to learn from a pro player. The son of a former college legend and NBA player Roy Marble, Devyn takes seriously his place as a role model for kids.
"It's different for me because I still see myself as just a kid who plays basketball also," Marble said. "I know that the eyes are different looking at me now and I make sure to make smart decisions. And I want to show these kids support because they are the same ones who watch our games. This is my way of showing my support for them."
Young athletes such as 13-year-old Donte Pearley and the 14-year-old Seals were looking up to the likes of Marble and Nick Anderson â the first player ever drafted by the Magic â during Tuesday's camp. As Pearley, who is soon to be an eighth-grader at Robinwood Middle Schoool, attempted a free throw, Anderson chanted "Donte! Donte! Donte!"
Afterward, Pearley was all smiles about the experience of getting to interact with current and former NBA players. He said that the Magic give children opportunities they mostly only could dream about before.
"A lot of kids don't get to experience something like this with real NBA players, and it's fun too," Pearley said. "All the kids here are happy and having fun. There are kids out there who are running the streets and even selling drugs, so for the Magic to help us is amazing. They're pretty cool."
Marble said from the time that he was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft that the Magic made it clear that they wanted their players to be active in the community to help out those in need. Marble said the organization's willingness to make a difference in the community is backed up with its actions.
"I've never been around an organization that has done as much as this team has done with the public and the kids," Marble said. "I just have fun every time I come to one of these events, getting to know the kids and letting them get to know me firsthand."
