You conducted a camp recently in St. Petersburg. How did it go?
Kirilenko: "It went great. There were a lot of happy kids and happy faces there. We had both girls and boys, ages 15-16. They seemed to like [veteran NBA coach] John MacLeod and me. We also had lot of coaches from different sports schools in Russia. They had an opportunity to see what other schools do and learn different strategies for coaching."

Kirilenko participated in drills at the camps.

How long have you run these camps?
Kirilenko: "Every summer for the last three years. I've also done camps in Salt Lake City and Italy as well. I'm pretty experienced at them. I was at Basketball Without Borders last summer and used the experience at my camps. Little things make camps more successful. How to organize the camp, bring kids, trainers, coaches and equipment, to make sure newspapers and media are there. All these little things help."

What is your foundation "Kirilenko's Kids" and what drove you to set that up?
Kirilenko: "This is the first year of the foundation. We set it up to provide help for the orphanges and sports schools in Moscow. The orphanage we chose and are helping right now has a lot of sick kids with Down Syndrome. We raise money to help with supplies and donations.

"I have an opportunity now to help in one orphanage and one school. We want to focus and help one place as much as we can. If it goes well, we will take another one to help. The sports schools don't have good equipment, like good shoes, shirts and shorts. I'm trying to help with my Nike deal. We have a lot of brands helping out and would like to get more. A lot of people are trying to help and we appreciate it."

Can you talk about the three Russians selected in this year's draft?
Kirilenko: "There were three guys all taken in a row in the first round: Viktor Khryapa, Sergei Monia and Pavel Podkolzin. Khryapa plays like me, and Monia is a little more of a two than a three. He can shoot the ball very well, and he's very physical. He won't be in the NBA this year, though, as he'll play for CSKA Moscow. Pavel Podkolzin is a tall guy. They call him 'The Siberian Shaq.' He can run, jump and shoot the ball."

The young players from Russia kept their eyes on Andrei.

You were the first Russian player in the NBA. Are the floodgates open now for Russians to enter the league?
Kirilenko: "Next year and after next year, more and more guys will come to the NBA. I'm very proud of the Russian guys. The NBA is the best league and I want them to be better than me. It helps our national team. I am only 24 and they are all younger than me. We can play 10 more years in the NBA. I wish them good luck. It's a great experience for them, and they get to be part of a great league, with great coaches and great systems. There is more speed in the NBA and it's more physical."

How will the additions of Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer help the Jazz?
Kirilenko: "I think Carlos and Okur are very good for us. They can rebound and shoot very well. We have a pretty good team right now. These two guys are very important for our system, not only as players but as people. They are great guys."

Veteran NBA coach John MacLeod helped coach the youngsters at the Russia Camps.

By bringing in two new front-court players, will it change how you play?
Kirilenko: "I think I'm a team player. Boozer is a great player and a great college player. He's shown he can play. He will improve more and more and I will try to help him. With Okur, me and [Gordan] Giricek and Okur all know other from Europe and know the style of each others' games. We will try to find the same language of basketball to understand each other. It will be easy because we're young. It's not about a fight for position, or about who wants to be the leader. We will try to find the same language of basketball to understand each other."

What has playing for Jerry Sloan taught you?
Kirilenko: "I've learned so much on and off the court. He's a great system coach. I learned a lot from him in basketball and also in psychology. He tells us to relax and not think about the game. He has a lot of little things to make you relax."

Do you think the Jazz have made enough changes to make the playoffs?
Kirilenko: "I can't say for sure, but I think the changes we made will help us. Last season everyone said we'd have only 10-15 wins maximum, and we had that before the New Year and ended just over .500. We have a pretty tough division, and we will fight for a playoff spot for sure."