KoriEllis
09-15-2004, 07:16 PM
Spurs' Bowen talks about his basketball camp, Barry's arrival in San Antonio
Bruce Breaks It Down
www.nba.com/features/bowen_040915.html (http://www.nba.com/features/bowen_040915.html)
By Rob Peterson
San Antonio's Bruce Bowen is known as one of the top role players in the NBA, so it would only make sense that the stopper extraordinaire would start a fundamentals-first basketball camp in his home city of Fresno, Calif. With Bowen having wrapped up the third year of the "Bruce Bowen Basketball Camp" (and yes, Bowen is the first to joke about the lack of originality behind the camp's name), NBA.com talked to the Spurs forward about what the annual camp aims to accomplish with the youth of Fresno, his expectations for the upcoming season, and his efforts to improve his aim from the charity stripe.
When did you start the Bruce Bowen Basketball Camp?
Bowen: "I started it about three years ago, and it was generated to give those kids in the inner city a free chance to come out and learn the fundamentals of basketball. Whereas a lot of us weren't able to pay for that stuff growing up, I saw this as a need. The kids stay at the camp for a week, we feed and house them, and we teach them the values of basketball and team play. No acting up, you know. I can't stand that. That's not what we're doing here."
It almost sounds like you're a no-nonsense player on defense, and you're a no-nonsense guy when you run the camp.
Bowen: "(Laughs.) That would be it big time. (Laughs.) It's a free camp, and I discourage parents from doing the typical, 'Well, my son needs to be doing this because he's good. And he's this, and he's that.' Well, I'm not trying to say that your son isn't good, but there are certain rules to the game that your son is going to have to learn. And just, 'I'm good and you're not' is not one of them. It's such a neccessity for me for those kids in inner-city Fresno to learn the game of basketball. A lot of the kids have done so well afterwards; some have gone on to the ABCD camps, and I'm really happy that I've been able -- in some way, shape or form -- to contribute to something this big."
You had to work your butt off to get to the NBA. Do you ever relate your personal story to these kids?
Bowen: "Absolutely. I do that with today's youth as well as players coming into the NBA. So many of them have been told that they're so great and so good at such a young age that they lose their work ethic. And they're concerned with other things they shouldn't be concerned with. And my thought process through all of that is, 'Hey, if you do what you're supposed to do on the court, everything else will take care of itself.'"
Has there been one moment these past three years when it really dawned on you just what you're able to accomplish with this camp?
Bowen: "This year I had this kid who ... how can I put it? Uh, this kid was a big-time problem [when he first came to the camp a few years ago]. A big problem. He's 12, so he's at another gymnasium, about a mile away, where they have to walk back and forth between the facilities. One day I told his group, 'Don't take any drinks out of the gym, because somebody'll have to pick them up.' ... Well, when the kids went back, they dropped their cups as we were all walking to our place to reconvene. So I kept the kids behind and said, 'Look, we're going to get to the bottom of this. Who came up here and threw their cup away like that on the street? Because that's your community as well as mine. You don't want to trash it.' And the kid that I had a problem with, Pepe, he stood up first. He said, 'I was one.' And I was like, 'Wow, Pepe?' That was the biggest moment for me personally, because we remember Pepe. Pepe was a problem. But look at his maturity now, and what he's doing. So because of that, when [it came time to wrap up the camp], I made him stand up and I told everybody, 'You know, I just want to talk about this young man for a moment ... Pepe, I'm proud of you, man. I truly appreciate this.'"
How do you feel about the upcoming season with the addition of Brent Barry and everything?
Bowen: "I feel great about Brent Barry. I think he understands the game of basketball. It's different when you pick up somebody who understands the game of basketball, compared to picking up a one-dimensional kind of guy. Because he understands the game of basketball, he's the kind of guy who can be effective in more than one way. There may be some nights where, you know, he's just shooting the ball like crazy. There may be nights where, because of his penetration, he's setting up shots for others. He's not just a one-dimensional kind of guy. With his athleticism out there on the wing, he can really create something very positive for the city of San Antonio."
With Tim Duncan and Manu both coming off of long summers at the Olympics, how are you guys going to help them endure a long season?
Bowen: "It is a long year, but they're two lucky individuals, because that means they're not going to have to go as hard as everybody else in training camp. (Laughs.) The Olympics happened a long time ago. Tim showed up at the gym today, and I said, 'Oh, oh, oh ... Now it's time for you to sweat again, huh? I'm just giving you a hard time.' But you know, it's funny because we've got guys who don't live crazy lifestyles and [aren't] out in the streets all the time and things of that nature, and I think that plays a big role in things like this. If you've got a guy taking care of his body, then he'll be alright. And [Coach Popovich] is good about maintaining the maintenance period for them as well. He knows that they've had a long summer, and he'll give them their time."
Even though Shaq's in the East now, do you still treat every team in the West the same?
Bowen: "I think you have to. San Antonio's not the only team that got better. Dallas got better. Houston got better. It's not just about San Antonio. If we were shallow enough to overlook that fact, we wouldn't make it as far as we want to. You know, just because Shaq is gone doesn't mean Kobe's not going to go out and score for the Lakers. And then you have Sacramento and Minnesota. All of these other teams are capable of doing big things, just like we are."
Do you have any personal goals this season?
Bowen: "My vision always entails the team, but I'd like to be more consistent this year. I like to continuously add to my game, other than 3-point shooting, so I'd like to improve on all facets of the game. And I know that when I say that, people will say, 'Oh, is he talking about free throws as well?' I know that that's something that I created, so I don't have a problem saying that. That is one of them."
Bruce Breaks It Down
www.nba.com/features/bowen_040915.html (http://www.nba.com/features/bowen_040915.html)
By Rob Peterson
San Antonio's Bruce Bowen is known as one of the top role players in the NBA, so it would only make sense that the stopper extraordinaire would start a fundamentals-first basketball camp in his home city of Fresno, Calif. With Bowen having wrapped up the third year of the "Bruce Bowen Basketball Camp" (and yes, Bowen is the first to joke about the lack of originality behind the camp's name), NBA.com talked to the Spurs forward about what the annual camp aims to accomplish with the youth of Fresno, his expectations for the upcoming season, and his efforts to improve his aim from the charity stripe.
When did you start the Bruce Bowen Basketball Camp?
Bowen: "I started it about three years ago, and it was generated to give those kids in the inner city a free chance to come out and learn the fundamentals of basketball. Whereas a lot of us weren't able to pay for that stuff growing up, I saw this as a need. The kids stay at the camp for a week, we feed and house them, and we teach them the values of basketball and team play. No acting up, you know. I can't stand that. That's not what we're doing here."
It almost sounds like you're a no-nonsense player on defense, and you're a no-nonsense guy when you run the camp.
Bowen: "(Laughs.) That would be it big time. (Laughs.) It's a free camp, and I discourage parents from doing the typical, 'Well, my son needs to be doing this because he's good. And he's this, and he's that.' Well, I'm not trying to say that your son isn't good, but there are certain rules to the game that your son is going to have to learn. And just, 'I'm good and you're not' is not one of them. It's such a neccessity for me for those kids in inner-city Fresno to learn the game of basketball. A lot of the kids have done so well afterwards; some have gone on to the ABCD camps, and I'm really happy that I've been able -- in some way, shape or form -- to contribute to something this big."
You had to work your butt off to get to the NBA. Do you ever relate your personal story to these kids?
Bowen: "Absolutely. I do that with today's youth as well as players coming into the NBA. So many of them have been told that they're so great and so good at such a young age that they lose their work ethic. And they're concerned with other things they shouldn't be concerned with. And my thought process through all of that is, 'Hey, if you do what you're supposed to do on the court, everything else will take care of itself.'"
Has there been one moment these past three years when it really dawned on you just what you're able to accomplish with this camp?
Bowen: "This year I had this kid who ... how can I put it? Uh, this kid was a big-time problem [when he first came to the camp a few years ago]. A big problem. He's 12, so he's at another gymnasium, about a mile away, where they have to walk back and forth between the facilities. One day I told his group, 'Don't take any drinks out of the gym, because somebody'll have to pick them up.' ... Well, when the kids went back, they dropped their cups as we were all walking to our place to reconvene. So I kept the kids behind and said, 'Look, we're going to get to the bottom of this. Who came up here and threw their cup away like that on the street? Because that's your community as well as mine. You don't want to trash it.' And the kid that I had a problem with, Pepe, he stood up first. He said, 'I was one.' And I was like, 'Wow, Pepe?' That was the biggest moment for me personally, because we remember Pepe. Pepe was a problem. But look at his maturity now, and what he's doing. So because of that, when [it came time to wrap up the camp], I made him stand up and I told everybody, 'You know, I just want to talk about this young man for a moment ... Pepe, I'm proud of you, man. I truly appreciate this.'"
How do you feel about the upcoming season with the addition of Brent Barry and everything?
Bowen: "I feel great about Brent Barry. I think he understands the game of basketball. It's different when you pick up somebody who understands the game of basketball, compared to picking up a one-dimensional kind of guy. Because he understands the game of basketball, he's the kind of guy who can be effective in more than one way. There may be some nights where, you know, he's just shooting the ball like crazy. There may be nights where, because of his penetration, he's setting up shots for others. He's not just a one-dimensional kind of guy. With his athleticism out there on the wing, he can really create something very positive for the city of San Antonio."
With Tim Duncan and Manu both coming off of long summers at the Olympics, how are you guys going to help them endure a long season?
Bowen: "It is a long year, but they're two lucky individuals, because that means they're not going to have to go as hard as everybody else in training camp. (Laughs.) The Olympics happened a long time ago. Tim showed up at the gym today, and I said, 'Oh, oh, oh ... Now it's time for you to sweat again, huh? I'm just giving you a hard time.' But you know, it's funny because we've got guys who don't live crazy lifestyles and [aren't] out in the streets all the time and things of that nature, and I think that plays a big role in things like this. If you've got a guy taking care of his body, then he'll be alright. And [Coach Popovich] is good about maintaining the maintenance period for them as well. He knows that they've had a long summer, and he'll give them their time."
Even though Shaq's in the East now, do you still treat every team in the West the same?
Bowen: "I think you have to. San Antonio's not the only team that got better. Dallas got better. Houston got better. It's not just about San Antonio. If we were shallow enough to overlook that fact, we wouldn't make it as far as we want to. You know, just because Shaq is gone doesn't mean Kobe's not going to go out and score for the Lakers. And then you have Sacramento and Minnesota. All of these other teams are capable of doing big things, just like we are."
Do you have any personal goals this season?
Bowen: "My vision always entails the team, but I'd like to be more consistent this year. I like to continuously add to my game, other than 3-point shooting, so I'd like to improve on all facets of the game. And I know that when I say that, people will say, 'Oh, is he talking about free throws as well?' I know that that's something that I created, so I don't have a problem saying that. That is one of them."