Elijah Millsap drops by Carbon High

By Scott Pendleton

Elijah Millsap, the point guard and shooting guard for the Utah Jazz, stopped by Carbon High on Tuesday to spend some time with the Carbon Recreation Junior Jazz.
Millsap spent a few hours playing basketball with the children, along with a few games that involved some basketball skills. When he showed up and was introduced by Frank Ori, everyone was excited. Millsap then lined the children up from tallest to shortest and split them into four groups. The first activity involved a competition between the four teams to see which team could shoot five baskets from in front of the free throw line the quickest. After a winner was declared, the losers then had to do five push-ups. The next round switched up where they were shooting to the corners of the center key. The losers of that round ran a lap around the gym. The following game had a group of three to four children try to drive and score on Millsap and his trainer, Harold Deane. Most of the groups were unsuccessful, but there were a few groups that managed to score on the professional ball player. After a few rounds of that game, the children then sat down and were asked questions about Millsap, such as his height, his position, and other basic trivia. Those who answered correctly were then put into a contest to see if they could make a free throw, while Millsap shot the ball from half court. A few managed to score against Millsap, bringing them great joy. The final game was a short round of basketball, with a group of four to five children trying to drive and score against Millsap and Deane. For the most part, the pro’s were able to hold their own. There were a few squads of children that managed to give the professional a run for his money, much to the delight of the children.
After everyone got a chance to play a round against Millsap, then the autographs and pictures began. Everyone lined up to get an autograph from Millsap, whether on a picture, a wrist band, a shirt or a basketball. After everyone got a signature, another line was formed for a photo opportunity with the professional.
“This has been the biggest crowd we’ve had so far,” said Harold Deane, Millsaps’ personal trainer. “We’ve been to a few schools in the past few days, but this has been the best turnout so far. Its good to see too, because I got my start at an event similar to this when I was a child. Its good to give the children motivation to come out and play some ball, and it looked like everyone had a great time.”
Millsap was happy to come out as well. “Its great to see the turnout here and how excited the kids are,” said Millsap, “everyone needs someone to look up to.”
The Jazz player will continue to tour Utah and visit various schools over the next few weeks, bringing excitement to those that engage in basketball.