Former Boston College basketball star Jared Dudley is back in town.
The Suns forward, 24, is in the midst of running a five-day basketball camp (July 20-24) at the Mass. Premiere Courts in Foxborough, but he's interested in teaching kids about a little bit more than dribbling, defense and what it was like to play with Shaq.
"I like it down here," Dudley told NECN's Mike Giardi. "Boston definitely shows me a lot of love. To come out here and hang out with these kids down here — for me, it's a dream come true."
What else is a dream come true for Dudley? Making it in the NBA. As a forward on Al Skinner's squad from 2003 to 2007, Dudley became the fifth-leading scorer in school history and led the team to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. During his senior season, he was named the ACC Player of the Year, beating out the likes of North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough for the honor.
Dudley was drafted by Charlotte in 2007, and last December, he was traded to Phoenix with Jason Richardson. In two seasons, he has averaged 5.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18 minutes per game.
"Going to Phoenix was night and day from Charlotte, even though
Charlotte wasn't that bad," Dudley, a San Diego native, said. "But I mean, warm weather, back on the West
Coast — I couldn't ask for anything more."
But Dudley understands that basketball isn't everything, and that is the message he wants to impart to his campers during the week.
"Your image and your reputation is the biggest thing we have in life," Dudley said. "Basketball is just so small when it comes to the message you want to give. Overall, it's about your parents — parents are huge, you know, just listening to them — and the friends you hang out with because that reflects your image.
"Overall, [the message] is just having fun and don't take no for an answer, because it might not be basketball. It might be being a doctor of a lawyer, because with these kids here, the sky's the limit."
It may not be all about basketball — but it's still kind of fun to play with guys like Shaquille O'Neal. That hasn't been lost on Dudley.
"Shaq, he's a giant," Dudley said. "He's like the face of basketball. He's such a big kid, he makes it so easy on everyone."
And that's what Dudley hopes to do for the future stars at his camp.
