A basketball camp led by NBA veteran Troy Daniels gives Roanoke youngsters the opportunity to “dream big”

Roanoke, Virginia – Troy Daniels, a graduate of William Fleming High School, is currently in Roanoke, Virginia, to organize his sixth annual Dream Big basketball camp. This week is one of the most eagerly awaited weeks of the summer.

A veteran of seven years in the National Basketball Association, the player makes it a point to give back to his community by teaching young people how to be successful both on and off the court.

“Just not trying to be too cool,” said Daniels. “I think this generation is so caught up in the social media era and trying to be so cool. I just say, ‘Hey man, you don’t really have to be the cool guy to be successful, you know what I mean?’ And I think I’m the perfect testament to that. Even in school, there were these groups over here, people wanted to go to these parties and stuff and I was always the one that didn’t want to do that. I was literally always the guy going downtown to the YMCA to work on my game. And just to show them that type of work really pays off and hard work, in general, pays off to be successful.”

Over the course of the three-day event, Daniels asserts that he intends to be an open book for the young athletes who will be present, providing them with guidance not only about basketball but also regarding life in general.

Following his time at Fleming, Daniels went on to play collegiate baseball at Virginia Commonwealth University and most recently competed in the EuroLeague.

Despite the fact that he is uncertain about his future on the court, the native of Star City desires for his account to serve as a source of motivation for the younger generation in Roanoke.

“The biggest thing for me is just giving back and having these kids use me as an example,” said Daniels. “And as somebody being successful from the community, just being able to come back and give back because I was one of those little kids. And I always tell them, ‘I was one of you guys. I always dreamed about coming up here, trying to talk.’ So I’m able to do that and, sometimes, you don’t really have the confidence to be able to say, ‘Oh, I’m gonna do that, I’m gonna be this.’ So I try to instill that confidence in them. Obviously, basketball is the number one priority, but just being able to say, ‘Hey, be like me, or be better than me.’”