It’s not often an 11-year-old boy can walk around town and say, “I beat former Murray State Racer and current Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant in one-on-one basketball.”
But after last week’s special two-day ProCamps experience at MSU, Christian County’s Darius Anderson Jr. can.
Bound for sixth grade and Christian County Middle School this fall, Anderson reflected on the rare experience — noting his favorite NBA player right now is Morant.
Anderson said the camp was well worth his time, where scrimmages, stations and drills helped him progress into jump stops and the triple-threat position — a fundamental stance that allows a player to be ready to dribble, pass or shoot at a moment’s notice.
Much like Morant, Anderson also wants to be a point guard or combo guard while he’s on the court.
With so many students on the floor that Thursday and Friday, it was certainly difficult for Morant to make personal time for every player. Anderson, however, said he went around trying to talk to everybody.
Currently playing AAU for Team Rise Up, Anderson has been interested in basketball since kindergarten — when he started to grasp how his dad, Darius Sr., suited up for the Christian County Colonels from 1999 through 2002.
Anderson’s mother, DeAndrea, put her two children in Morant’s camp because parents were allowed to stick around for the event — and the family also wanted Darius to get more basketball experience.
After all, he’s trying to make it on the middle school team.
Morant’s camp was his first-ever in Murray.
