Liberty's Hampton inspires East Orange youth hoop campers

Kym Hampton, former professional basketball player and current New York Liberty Fan Development Leader, gave some inspiring words to the youth of the East Orange Recreation Co-ed Basketball Camp on Aug. 5 during the fifth and final week of the camp.
Hampton, who played professional basketball for Spain, Italy, France and Japan and later for the Liberty of the Women’s National Basketball Association, recounted her love for the game and some of her great experiences.
She counseled the campers to stay motivated and to stay active, and showed them some pointers on how to become better players.
Hampton challenged the youngsters to be determined, focused and disciplined both on the basketball court and in any other endeavors they might embark on.
She showed them how to improve on something as simple as a free throw shot by giving them just three rules: your feet should be straight to the basket, your shoulders should be square, and your middle finger should be down. She also stressed the importance of repetition to make sure good habits become permanent ones.
Hampton, who is originally from Louisville, Ky., played basketball at Arizona State University before entering the professional basketball world overseas. In 1997 she was drafted in the WNBA’s “Elite Draft” to the New York Liberty, where she played for the duration of her career. She competed in the WNBA finals three times, and although she never took home a title, she learned a great deal about the world and about herself.
The East Orange Recreation summer basketball camp was a huge success.
The camp drew boys and girls ages 8-15 and averaged 80 participants per week.
Among some of the skills the campers learned were dribbling, shooting and defensive rebounding.