Utah Jazz power forward Paul Millsap met former Douglas High boys' basketball coach Aubrey McCreary while attending an Adidas camp in Atlanta in the summer of 2005.
Millsap, then a junior-to-be at Louisiana Tech, was looking to elevate his game and, in turn, his potential draft position the following year.
The two hit it off, and after the Jazz took Millsap in the second round of last year's NBA entry draft, the 6-8, 258-pounder spent the majority of the summer working out with McCreary in South Lake Tahoe to get better acclimated to the high altitude he'd face in Salt Lake City.
"It was fun," Millsap said in a recent phone interview. "It was a real good experience up there, just to get used to playing at altitude.
"We went twice a day. It was pretty hard but it got me ready for pro ball."
This summer Millsap will turn the tables a bit, conducting a four-day camp at Douglas High School to help area athletes take their game to the next level.
Millsap is coming off a breakout rookie season in which he recorded six double-doubles, averaged 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game and at one time was considered a top candidate for rookie of the year honors.
He finished as a second-team NBA All-Rookie team honoree and played an integral role for the Jazz as Utah advanced to the Western Conference finals before being eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs.
He averaged 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
"I just tried to take it as I could this year," Millsap said. "I think I had a pretty good year. There's always room to get better and that's something I'm going to work on."
Millsap said he plans on returning to Lake Tahoe just prior to the camp. He'll work with McCreary again leading up to the NBA season.
"I am just going to try to extend my game overall," he said. "Aubrey is a good guy and he knows what he is talking about. It's good to get to work with him again. For now, though, I'm just going to take a little time off and spend some time with my kids."
Millsap's uncle, DeAngelo Simmons who also serves as Millsap's player agent, trained Millsap for eight years leading up to the Adidas camp where he met McCreary.
"I was just going to the Adidas camp with Paul to get learn more about the game," Simmons said. "Aubrey was kind enough to help me out. We developed a bond there and we ended up going to Aubrey for most of the pre-draft training.
"Last summer, we did some speed work with Cheyenne Pietri of Velocity Sports (Pietri also trained Douglas High grad and current Miami Dolphin Gabe Hatchett heading into this year's NFL draft) in the mornings and then we'd move into training and drills with Aubrey."
This summer's camp is one of several Millsap will be involved with. He'll also put one on in Salt Lake.
"I don't think we expected this kind of success this quick," Simmons said. "I knew Paul would fit in and I knew he would play. I always knew he had the potential to succeed in the NBA, but even this year I'd say he only played at about 60 percent of what he is capable of. His goal in coming back to Lake Tahoe is to get closer to playing at his full potential."
The camp will be a bit of a return for Millsap as it will be only an hour's drive away from where he battled against the University of Nevada as a Bulldog while leading the NCAA in rebounding all three years of his college career.
"We're looking forward to it," Simmons said. "It's old stomping grounds for Aubrey too so we know he's excited."
The camp will cover a broad base of basketball drills including ball handling, offense, defense, agility and fundamentals.
"I just want to help teach kids how to play the right way," Millsap said. "We'll work a lot on the fundamentals."
Paul Millsap's Go Hard Basketball Academy presented by High Intensity Hoops is scheduled for July 30 through Aug. 2 at Douglas.
The camp is open to athletes in third through 10th grade and will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Cost is $210, but there will be a $20 discount for each additional family member or for athletes who participated in the Douglas Tiger Camp in late June.
Pre-registration is required as there is limited enrollment space. Players will be asked to bring proper basketball attire, lunch and a positive attitude. For more information, call 782-9828.
-- Joey Crandall can be reached at jcrandall@recordcourier.com or at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.
