Old story from Nike Hoop Jamboree

[Nate Latsch]

I posted this before, and on the long thread below, but I thought some people might like to read this. This is what I wrote on the Nike Hoop Jamboree a couple years ago when Kevin Lisch and Tyler Hansbrough (and Greg Oden) were there.

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Kyle Kirk felt a little woozy on the first night of the Nike Hoop Jamboree.

The invitation-only basketball camp, held this past week at St. Louis University’s Simon Recreation Center, matched the Fort Zumwalt West sophomore against the best competition from around the country in his age group. But Kirk wasn’t worried about that; he was in a state of disbelief from seeing the world’s most famous basketball player, Michael Jordan, up close and personal.

“I thought I was going to pass out,†Kirk said Friday. “I swear to God.â€

Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and five-time NBA Most Valuable Player during his years with the Chicago Bulls, was in town because his oldest son, Jeffrey, was invited to the Jamboree. On Wednesday night, the 110 camp participants got to catch a glimpse of No. 23, who retired from the Washington Wizards after this past season.

“I saw him and I was like, Oh my God,†Kirk said. “I’ve never seen him in real life before. I have every pair of shoes he’s ever had. I wanted to go up and give him a hug, but I was afraid someone would beat me up, like a bodyguard or something.â€

Tyler Hansbrough, a 6-foot-8 junior forward from Poplar Bluff, had a different idea come to mind when he first saw Jordan. “I wanted to tackle him,†Hansbrough said, without offering any further explanation. “Everybody was yelling, ‘Hey Mike, hey Mike.’â€

Kevin Lisch, a junior point guard at Althoff, said: “It’s different seeing somebody you’ve seen on TV and then seeing them in person. I was just surprised he was here.â€

After the shock of that initial encounter with Jordan sunk in with the camp participants – that was the lone Jordan sighting at the camp as of Friday afternoon -- the basketball players got down to work. Over the course of four days, the campers played eight games and received instruction in all areas of basketball – and life.

On Friday afternoon, visitors of the Rec Center were greeted by a cacophony of referee’s whistles buzzing and sneakers squeaking as the campers went back and forth on the center’s six courts. There were reputations being made all over the gym and, since the best players at the Jamboree will be invited to the prestigious Nike All-America Camp in Indianapolis in a few weeks, the competition was fierce.

Hansbrough and Lisch had already established themselves as two of the best players in the gym. Hansbrough, who led his high school team to the Missouri final four this season and is playing with the St. Louis Eagles Under-17 squad this summer, already has scholarship offers from Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Marquette. He said he plans to make his college decision late in his junior year.

“I don’t think it’s a secret to anybody, but (Hansbrough) is one of the top players in the country in his class,†said Hazelwood Central coach Chris Pilz, who worked at the camp. “There’s no doubt about that. I think this week he has probably proven that.â€

A Post-Dispatch All-Metro first-team selection following a sensational sophomore season, Lisch is already one of St. Louis U. coach Brad Soderberg’s top targets.

“From what I’ve seen out here, (Lisch) has demonstrated that he is able to play with the best guards in the country,†Pilz said. “He knows how to play the game. I guarantee he’s put in thousands and thousands of hours in the gym trying to figure out how to play and he’s awful good.â€

Pilz, who Hazelwood Central Hawks lost to Lisch’s Althoff team by one point two years ago, was not as familiar with Kirk. Arguably the top freshman in the area this past season, Kirk, a 6-4 swingman, had struggled a bit through the early stages of the Jamboree before settling in.

“I feel like (Kirk) is holding his own and he’s really finding out how he stacks up against some of the other guys in the country at his position,†Pilz said. “But he’s big and strong. I think the biggest thing this week for him is he’s probably gonna figure out he can play with these guys.â€

One of the instructors at the camp, which was hosted by the St. Louis Eagles, was Kevin Eastman, who coached at various colleges for almost 25 years and now works camps and clinics throughout the country.

“I love (Lisch),†said Eastman, who a week earlier was working out future pros LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. “Even though I don’t count, (Lisch) is one of my favorites. He plays smart. He listens. He’s a sponge. He plays hard as hell. He understands the game. His face emits passion for the game. He’s fun and he’s going to be good.

“(Hansbrough) is good. Crafty. He’s fun to watch. He runs the floor. Springy. Creative. Good feel for the game. You notice him quickly.â€

After four days of playing basketball against some of the best competition in the country, getting noticed was almost as important as seeing Michael Jordan in person. Almost.

- Nate

[jimbofive]

Man... for a doctor's kid, Psycho T is a MEATHEAD. I mean it seems to be working for him, and it sure is entertaining, but I hear he's about as dumb as **** on a cactus.

[brianstl]

They say sometimes it skips a generation.

[billiken_roy]

whatever happened to kyle kirk? i thought he was supposed to go to missouri state?

[StLouBlue]

He is at MO St, but he red-shirted this year. I don't know if this was because of an injury or just to develop though. They had a lot of their roster returning and it would have been pretty hard for him to get minutes so redshirting was probably a good option.