Kids participating in the USC Upstate Men’s Basketball Summer Camp recently met a USC Upstate legend.
Former Spartan great Torrey Craig ’14, who just signed with the Denver Nuggets, stopped by the University to see his former teammates and coaches and to visit the basketball camp.
“It’s fun to come back and see familiar faces and to talk to the kids, “ Craig said. “They are always really excited.”
Craig, a native of Great Falls, S.C., said this trip to Spartanburg was special for him and to be able to share his recent accomplishment with this group of campers was fun.
“Don’t take this moment for granted,” Craig told campers. “I didn’t start getting serious about basketball until I was in high school.”
Craig said signing an NBA contract was a “huge dream accomplished” and one that he never really thought would happen. Having played three years overseas, Craig said he’s visited seven different countries and has had opportunities he had never considered.
Craig said scouts from the Denver Nuggets began attending his games in Australia last year. He said they invited him to play in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, which gave him a chance to show his skills and to eventually be offered a contract.
“I hope these kids will stay confident and believe in their abilities,” Craig said. “Basketball can take you a long way; it’s a good opportunity if you work at it.”
Craig said he would return to Denver this week, but South Carolina will always be home. He said he hopes next year to hold his own basketball camp in South Carolina and maybe even at USC Upstate.
“I’m thankful for everybody at USC Upstate who helped me to be successful,” Craig said. “I was always sort of the underdog having played at USC Upstate; we didn’t get recognized in that way.”
(Image and story by USC Upstate.)