Fizer Goes Camping

August 14, 2001

Fizer speaks to the campers at the new Bulls/Sox Academy in Lisle.

Marcus Fizer recently stopped by the brand new Bulls/White Sox Training Academy to speak to the campers and put on a mini-clinic. The academy, located in Lisle, Illinois, hosted approximately 50 kids between the ages of 6 and 17 as part of the first annual Bulls Players Camp. Other players to attend the week long camp were Eddy Curry, A.J. Guyton and Jake Voskuhl.

Fizer first spoke to the kids about what it took for him to be successful and shared his thoughts on the best way for them to achieve similar success.

His message was simple:

Fizer said, "To work hard and stay focused... you need to be obedient, stay in school and always work hard towards achieving your goals."

After his talk, Fizer fielded questions from the campers. Some inquired about his role models, while others wanted to know about his tattoos. No matter what question was asked Fizer was happy to provide an answer. Next it was time for Fizer to show the kids what he could do on the court.

Fizer takes a minute to pose with a camper at the Academy.

With the help of George Shimko, the academy Director of Basketball Operations, the two focused on offensive moves to the basket. Fizer demonstrated the triple-threat position--having the option to dribble, pass or shoot--and gave the campers a chance to play him in one-on-one.

"To be on the court with the kids, playing with them individually, was a lot of fun," Fizer said.

Attending these camps is nothing new for Fizer. He was once a young camper himself, hoping to learn from older players with hopes of getting better:

"These camps are exactly like the ones I went to when I was younger. I went to camps where guys like Corliss Williamson and other players who played college ball in the south were. It was a great thing for me to meet those guys and now I'm sort of returning the favor."

Coming out to the academy was an experience Fizer truly seemed to enjoy:

"I don't look at [coming to these camps] as an obligation at all. I'm very honored to be here, to have the camp want me here and to be able to talk to the kids. It makes me feel great and I hope it makes them feel great, too. I knew it was going to be a lot of fun to come out here and hang out with the kids," Fizer said at the end of the day. "I really liked the opportunity to come out here to interact with them and maybe teach them some things they didn't know."

The Chicago Bulls/White Sox Training Academy is now open and is located at 6200 River Bend Drive in Lisle, Illinois. You can visit www.BullsSoxAcademy.com or call 630-752-9225 or (630) PLAYBALL for more information and to learn about the academy's fall programs including the Junior Bulls Academy Team, the Chicago Bulls Training Academy Fall League and much more.

The Bulls/Sox Academy has numerous camps and programs that specialize in specific skill enhancement and instruction including Shooting Camps, Power Moves Camps and Platinum Membership Packages. From personalized sports performance assessments, and digital motion analysis to sports psychology, tournaments, and lessons, the Chicago Bulls Training Academy provides young players with the same advanced equipment, coaching and training techniques previously available only to the professional athlete.

- Adam Fluck, Bulls.com