Keiton Page moves to next phase of his basketball life
BY KELLY HINES World Sports Writer
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
6/27/12 at 4:43 AM
Keiton Page is a success story for many kids in Oklahoma.
"I've had tons of smaller kids come up to me and say, 'Hey, I'm the shortest one in my class, and I'm still doing good," Page said. "It gives them some motivation, some inspiration."
Page, now 5-foot-9, never let his stature be a hindrance. At Pawnee, he won a pair of state titles and set the single-season state high school scoring record with 1,287 points in 2007-08.
Last season at Oklahoma State, Page became the school's seventh all-time leading scorer and the leader in minutes played.
Now that his college career is complete, Page is focused on his next move - launching his coaching career. He's spending the summer in gyms across Oklahoma, conducting skills camps.
This week, several dozen elementary-age kids attended Page's camp at Berryhill High School, including an 8-year-old boy who was the smallest but most talented of the group.
"We get them at a young age," Page said. "Second grade for some of these kids is the first time they've held a basketball."
Assisted by his dad, David, who is Pawnee's head coach, Page spent much of the camp's first day working on fundamentals.
"The number one thing we try to do is teach them something they don't know or something they can work on when they go home," Keiton Page said. "The number two thing I always enjoyed about camps is having fun. I always like the stuff we do at the end, the competition."
Camps played a big role in Page's early development, and this is part of his way of paying it forward.
Coming from a coaching family - his grandfather coached at Collinsville and older brother Brady is at Hennessey - Page has known since high school what his future would be.
"Basketball is the one thing I love to do, and that's my passion," he said. "If you're not playing, coaching is the closest you can get to it."
Eventually, Page wants to be a Division I head coach. He will be on the staff at OSU next season, although in what capacity has yet to be determined, coach Travis Ford said.
"Right now, wherever they put me I'm happy," Page said. "I want to just stick around and see what I can do at OSU, and hopefully one day I'll be coaching some college basketball."
Page, who has a bachelor's degree in education, also looks forward to continuing to learn under Ford, whom he considers a mentor.
"I was the first one to go all the way through with him all four years," he said. "I learned so much from him being there. I'm excited about next year, getting to be behind the scenes with him and learning more."
Camp goes to Bartlesville
The last Keiton Page Skills Camp of the summer will be at Bartlesville Mid-High on July 9-11. Kids in grades second-eighth can sign up, and the cost is $100. For more information, contact Brady Page at 405-714-8305.
Original Print Headline: Page moves to next phase
Kelly Hines 918-581-8452
kelly.hines@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Former OSU basketball player Keiton Page works with kids on dribbling technique during his basketball camp earlier this week at Berryhill High School. MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
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