Checking in with Chris Paul: Summer Camp Edition
June 21, 2006
by: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
Reigning Rookie of the Year Chris Paul returned to Oklahoma City this week to host his inaugural Chris Paul Youth Basketball Camp. Children ranging in ages 7 through 18 are participating in the event, which is being held at Oklahoma City University and Heritage Hall.
Paul isn’t just lending his name to the camp; as he says, he likes to take more of a “hands on” approach. On Wednesday afternoon, the 21-year-old decided to participate in a spirited game of “21” with a large group of youngsters, at one point swatting an aspiring baller’s layup attempt into the 15th row.
CP3 took time out from mercilessly dominating his campers to explain to Hornets.com’s Jim Eichenhofer what he’s been up to lately and why Paul’s competitive instincts often take over even in a game of 21 against children.
Eichenhofer: While you were out there playing 21, I saw you reject a little kid’s shot about 30 feet off the court. You weren’t holding back out there, were you?
Paul: [laughs] Yeah, but there were some older kids out there too. These older kids, if they beat you, they’re going to go to school the next day and talk about you. So I’m not going to have that! I can have fun with them, but at the end of the day, I still want to win. I’m very hands on. When they get into drills and stations, I try to contest their shots and block their shots a little bit. A lot of them just want to try to score on me one time, so I try not to let that happen [grins].
Eichenhofer: What are you hoping will happen at Wednesday’s draft?
Paul: I hope we get some great players who will help the team. Our front office guys are great, in that they seem to make the right decisions. They picked ME, so… [laughs].
Eichenhofer: Have you seen any potential future stars in your camp this week that you might want to let your agent know about for down the road?
Paul: [grins] Yeah, we’ve definitely got a couple prospects here. There was a little 6-year-old in the morning session at Heritage Hall who can really ball!
Eichenhofer: How have you been spending your time since the season ended? It seems like you’ve been everywhere.
Paul: It never stops. I have a house in North Carolina that I’ve been anxious to see, and I haven’t stayed in it for a week straight. That’s just how it is. But it’s been fun and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world right now. I’ll be at summer league (in Las Vegas), then in Los Angeles for the ESPYs, then in Vegas again for the USA Basketball trials.
Eichenhofer: I saw you with Speedy Claxton at Tuesday’s workouts and he also spoke to kids at this basketball camp. Have you been trying to talk to Speedy about re-signing with the Hornets?
Paul: I’m trying to, but that’s not really up to me. I really want to keep Speedy around, but that’s the business of the game. We just have to see how it all works out.
Eichenhofer: You got to attend the NBA Finals and were an NBA TV correspondent. What did you take away from the experience?
Paul: Unbelievable. I went to (Game 6), and I haven’t seen anything like that in my life. Dwyane Wade is the consummate team player. I don’t know if you noticed, but I think with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter, he still hadn’t taken a shot. He still ended up with about 37 points. I think that’s a great credit to him and his teammates.
Eichenhofer: The Hornets are going to have three new players coming in after the draft. What advice are you going to give them about playing for Coach Scott?
Paul: Don’t wait until the season starts to try to get ready. I got the video playbook (early in the summer) to try to learn the plays, because it’s a tough offense, especially if you’re not used to running a structured offense. Try to learn as much as you can early before you get to training camp. Because once you get behind, it’s almost impossible to catch up.
by: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
Reigning Rookie of the Year Chris Paul returned to Oklahoma City this week to host his inaugural Chris Paul Youth Basketball Camp. Children ranging in ages 7 through 18 are participating in the event, which is being held at Oklahoma City University and Heritage Hall.
Paul isn’t just lending his name to the camp; as he says, he likes to take more of a “hands on” approach. On Wednesday afternoon, the 21-year-old decided to participate in a spirited game of “21” with a large group of youngsters, at one point swatting an aspiring baller’s layup attempt into the 15th row.
CP3 took time out from mercilessly dominating his campers to explain to Hornets.com’s Jim Eichenhofer what he’s been up to lately and why Paul’s competitive instincts often take over even in a game of 21 against children.
Eichenhofer: While you were out there playing 21, I saw you reject a little kid’s shot about 30 feet off the court. You weren’t holding back out there, were you?
Paul: [laughs] Yeah, but there were some older kids out there too. These older kids, if they beat you, they’re going to go to school the next day and talk about you. So I’m not going to have that! I can have fun with them, but at the end of the day, I still want to win. I’m very hands on. When they get into drills and stations, I try to contest their shots and block their shots a little bit. A lot of them just want to try to score on me one time, so I try not to let that happen [grins].
Eichenhofer: What are you hoping will happen at Wednesday’s draft?
Paul: I hope we get some great players who will help the team. Our front office guys are great, in that they seem to make the right decisions. They picked ME, so… [laughs].
Eichenhofer: Have you seen any potential future stars in your camp this week that you might want to let your agent know about for down the road?
Paul: [grins] Yeah, we’ve definitely got a couple prospects here. There was a little 6-year-old in the morning session at Heritage Hall who can really ball!
Eichenhofer: How have you been spending your time since the season ended? It seems like you’ve been everywhere.
Paul: It never stops. I have a house in North Carolina that I’ve been anxious to see, and I haven’t stayed in it for a week straight. That’s just how it is. But it’s been fun and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world right now. I’ll be at summer league (in Las Vegas), then in Los Angeles for the ESPYs, then in Vegas again for the USA Basketball trials.
Eichenhofer: I saw you with Speedy Claxton at Tuesday’s workouts and he also spoke to kids at this basketball camp. Have you been trying to talk to Speedy about re-signing with the Hornets?
Paul: I’m trying to, but that’s not really up to me. I really want to keep Speedy around, but that’s the business of the game. We just have to see how it all works out.
Eichenhofer: You got to attend the NBA Finals and were an NBA TV correspondent. What did you take away from the experience?
Paul: Unbelievable. I went to (Game 6), and I haven’t seen anything like that in my life. Dwyane Wade is the consummate team player. I don’t know if you noticed, but I think with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter, he still hadn’t taken a shot. He still ended up with about 37 points. I think that’s a great credit to him and his teammates.
Eichenhofer: The Hornets are going to have three new players coming in after the draft. What advice are you going to give them about playing for Coach Scott?
Paul: Don’t wait until the season starts to try to get ready. I got the video playbook (early in the summer) to try to learn the plays, because it’s a tough offense, especially if you’re not used to running a structured offense. Try to learn as much as you can early before you get to training camp. Because once you get behind, it’s almost impossible to catch up.
