Kids get to jam with Jimmer (with video)

Hundreds of kids attending Jimmer Fredette’s three-day basketball camp got to see something Thursday they’ll probably never see again: a professional basketball player doing a reverse somersault.

That was the predominant mood of the Jimmer Jam Camp, which included the Glens Falls native and Sacramento Kings guard competing in pseudo-challenges with his college sweetheart and new bride, Whitney.

“It’s fun,” Fredette said. “I love being able to come out here with these kids and see their smiling faces.”

And it was more than just smiles, as kids ranging in age from 8 to 12 also stared with admiration as their local hero went through his shooting warmups. Starting from just a few feet away from the hoop and moving back, Fredette knocked down dozens of shots in a row. The tension grew in the in Saratoga Springs Recreation Center until a collective “Oh” was released when he missed a shot from the top of the high school 3-point line.

The event was more than a show, as Fredette, who got involved in drills throughout the morning, said he is hoping to teach the kids the fundamentals of good basketball, such as dribbling with their heads up or utilizing their pivot foot.

Referring to the triple-threat stance in basketball, from which a player can either pass, shoot or dribble, Fredette said his camp is trying to impart a triple-threat of basketball, athleticism and character. Character skills are also a key feature of the Fredette Family Foundation, which benefits from the camp.

The idea of teaching life skills as a focus of the camp and foundation was echoed by Al Fredette, Jimmer’s father. He said the foundation is built on the principle of “families helping families,” and that begins with instilling strong character in children, which will ingrain in them the importance of helping others.

“If you build strong character, you learn things like kindness,” the elder Fredette said. “We’re teaching them to be good people and let them know that if you’re a good person, you’re a success.”

The foundation held its first local fundraiser in Glens Falls on Wednesday night and brought in about $8,000 that will go to local charities.

Former Saratoga Springs High School basketball and tennis coach Rich Johns, who was volunteering at the camp and spoke to the kids, said that his mantra of “Act with Respect Always,” which hangs from multiple spots in the rec center, was part of Fredette’s triple-threat message. He said Fredette is teaching kids how to make a difference in ways that really matter, and his presence at the camp has a lasting value.

Johns’ athletic outreach organization — also named Act with Respect Always — is endorsed by Fredette in a message on its website.

For Fredette, one of his big concerns is that kids get to have as much fun as he had attending camps in the Capital Region.

“When I was young, I used to love coming to camps,” he recounted.

Carlin DeMarinis, a volunteer at the camp and a girls’ basketball coach at Saratoga Springs High School, said confidently that all the young basketball players were having a great time. She said Fredette’s upbeat attitude and willingness to mingle freely will make a memorable experience for many of the kids.

Unlike some other camps, DeMarinis said, the big-name star is diving right in.

“He is actually here,” she said.

The experience was even a remarkable one for the 25-year-old DeMarinis, who remembered seeing Fredette play in a tournament at Saratoga Springs High School. She described him as a basketball “stud” from his early days of playing and now he has become a great story to tell and someone for kids to aspire to emulate.

He’ll be staying in the area until Sunday, and his father said they planned to watch Thursday night’s NBA draft as a family in Glens Falls. The elder Fredette said he hoped the Kings would draft a big man to play with his son, who declined to name his own preference and instead expressed empathy for the college players dealing with draft night.

“I remember going through it last year,” Fredette said. “These guys have butterflies in their stomach.”

This will be his first true off-season with the Kings, as last year’s was affected by the NBA lockout, and he expects the added time will be a boon to his game. He also hoped his team, which missed the playoffs last year, will be able to improve this year.

Before returning to the West Coast, though, Fredette will try to relax in the Capital Region.

“I just want to come back and be able to hang out with the family and be able to be here with my new wife,” he said.

His wife, a former cheerleader at Brigham Young University, where Fredette starred and was an All-American in his senior year, was on hand for some of Thursday’s camp. In a little marital challenge, she did a standing flip, which her husband failed to replicate, then dunked a basketball with him lifting her several feet off the ground.

Married less than a month, Fredette said it’s “great.”

“I got very lucky,” he added.

Commenting on the rec facility, which he has been in before, he said it was very nice and great for the kids. His father added that it was chosen because it is relatively unique in the Capital Region and perfect for the camp.

The Jimmer Jam Camp continues today and Saturday. There is a morning session and an afternoon session for teenagers.

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