Stephen Curry Surprises Campers

Does that title make it sound like Stephen Curry showed up to a quiet campsite in the middle of the night screaming “Oh my god! Run for your lives! Bears!”? Yes. Was that deliberate? Possibly. Steph did not do that. What actually happened is is much more adorable:

The truth is this is a basketball camp, ostensibly for kids and/or very small adults that look and sound exactly like kids. Stephen Curry was kind enough to stop by some lucky campers’ rooms with the broken promise of food. The kids did not seem to mind; they were actually very happy just to see Steph. I understand. Steph’s cool.

However, this is a basketball camp. While happy kids are great and all, duty compels me to try and break down what the kids are learning here.

The first clip shows a camper flopping after nearly coming in to contact with a much bigger player in Steph Curry. However, there was quite a bit of space between the camper and Steph, and faking a heart attack might have been a bit over the top. Odds of the kid getting the call are pretty minimal, but props to Steph for demonstrating sportsmanship to the other kids by helping his opponent up.

The second clip shows a girl practicing giving incredulous looks to an official after not getting a call. She does an admirable job maintaining her gaze, but her eyes don’t have enough hatred and vice behind them. She almost seems happy, and that’s not going to intimidate anyone. Practice, practice, practice.

All in all, it appears these campers are learning a great deal on how to react to fouls both during and after plays. The form is a little suspect, and there’s still work to be done, but these players are young. There is potential there. I’d say this camp experience was worth it.