by Shawn Nowlin
Many people say that their best memories from childhood can be directly attributed to when they experienced joy in its purest form.
An innumerable number of young people grow up dreaming of playing in the NBA or WNBA one day.
For basketball hopefuls, it’s one thing to play the game with friends and watch YouTube highlights to improve their craft. Being able to directly ask questions and soak up information from an athlete who played basketball at the highest level is on a whole different level.
Now in its seventh session, the Annual Troy Daniels Dream Big Basketball Camp took place on July 25-26 at William Fleming High School. Aspiring players of all ages took full advantage of this unique opportunity.
“Life is going to consist of ups and downs. It was intentional not to keep the score for some games because I wanted them to learn how to deal with adversity, including how to respond when things don’t go as planned,” Daniels said. “These valuable life lessons are things that all young people should learn.”
Eighteen years ago, Daniels cemented himself as a Colonel legend after leading Fleming to a Virginia High School League Group AA title over Brunswick High, 66-57.
After high school, he played four years at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for head coach Shaka Smart. As a senior, he set VCU’s single-season record for three-pointers with 124. Smart has publicly stated that without Daniels on the roster, the Rams do not make the 2011 NCAA Final Four.
“Are you determined? Are you committed? What are you willing to sacrifice to get to your dreams? And that’s for whatever your dreams are, they don’t have to do anything with basketball,” Darius Theus, a former college teammate of Daniels and current UVA assistant coach, told the camp participants.
After not getting selected in the 2013 NBA Draft, Daniels joined the Charlotte Bobcats Summer League Team.
Over his seven-year NBA career from 2014 to 2021, Daniels played for the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns. His best year was 2017 when he averaged 8.9 points and 1.6 rebounds over 79 games for the Suns.
As cliché as it sounds, it is true that “with great power comes great responsibility.”
The game of basketball has allowed Daniels to travel all over the world, make lifelong connections, experience different cultures and gain invaluable knowledge that can be passed along to the next generation. Giving back to his community is something that Daniels takes very seriously.
Parents and their children lined up to grab autographs and photos with Daniels before the camp concluded. All signs point to this annual occurrence continuing in the future.
