Sports
Beaverton college basketball star holds clinic for next generation of players – Fox 12 Oregon
BEAVERTON Ore. (KPTV) – She’s a college basketball superstar and an NCAA champion with Stanford. 21-year-old Cameron Brink returned home to Beaverton ahead of her senior season with the Cardinal.
Brink spoke with FOX 12 at her alma mater of Mountainside High for season two of her NEXT 22 clinic, catering to the younger generation of elite hoopsters from Oregon.
“I am going to be home for a day, so seeing my grandma and my dogs and my parents is really special to me,” Brink said.
When asked who gets more excited, grandma or the dogs, she replied, “Honestly, equal! The dogs do jump and knock me over and are crazy, but yeah, it’s been great.”
Brink returned to her alma mater and the Mavericks’ massive gym for the second year of her NEXT 22 hoops clinic.
“Just being a good teammate, bringing energy to the game, being passionate. I think they are having a lot of fun right now, so I just want them to have fun with the game.”
NEXT 22 is a free invite to some of the best 7th and 8th graders on the court in the Beaver State.
“They are all from different areas of Oregon, different schools, so hopefully they grow up together, they play together, and we just grow the sport in Oregon.”
Brink, who was once like them, now inspires young players.
“I feel like just being able to do this and be able to give back to the younger girls and see where they go with the sport. If they don’t end up in basketball, that’s fine. But this is to grow their leadership skills and their people skills and just having fun and making relationships.”
Elite play is a process, and learning, competing, and growing each step of the way is at the heart of NEXT 22.
“I am just thankful, I’ve worked very hard, but it takes a village and I give all the props to my parents, my coaches, my Stanford coaches. They have helped me get to where I am today, so it’s humbling, and I feel so blessed, and I am just very excited for the future.”
Brink is a two-time OSAA champion and state player of the year during her sophomore and junior seasons at Southridge before Mountainside.
“I feel like I was just doing an interview on the other baseline, and I just feel like that was yesterday. So, I miss it. It goes by too quickly, and now I am a senior in college, so it makes me emotional for sure, and it just makes me thankful for the ride.”
Riding high as the new face of New Balance apparel, the All-American and national champ at Stanford is nearing her college degree in communication and her final go with the Cardinal in the Pac-12.
“My last go-around as a senior and the last go-around as the Pac-12, I feel like it just makes this year even more special. I am really just going into it cherishing it, having fun with my teammates and my coaches, and I can’t wait.”
The next time we see Cameron at the NEXT 22 in 2024, she’ll be a college graduate and somewhere in the WNBA.
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