Zion Stanford inspires West Philly kids at his hoops camp as he prepares for a leadership role with Temple

Heading into his second season at Temple, Zion Stanford knows many people are watching his ascent after he was named to the American Athletic Conference’s all-freshman team. But it won’t be just other coaches and players who will be watching the Owls’ guard closely.

Back home on Thursday, Stanford hosted his own basketball camp at West Philadelphia High School, and he knows that he’s now a role model for kids in the area.

“They see me in them when they see somebody from Philly or West Philly that’s doing good in college, they think they can do the same,” Stanford said as he sat back against the bleachers and watched his campers shoot around. “So I just want to give back to those kids that look up to me and want to follow my dream. … I just feel like it’s important to give back to youth.”

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With the help of his teammates, his father, Chuck, and Temple’s NIL collective, the Tuff Fund, Stanford hosted more than two dozen kids ages 6 to 12 and guided them through various fundamentals and competitive drills during the three-hour camp.

Andy Carl, director of the Tuff Fund, was integral in helping facilitate this camp as well as others hosted by other Temple players over the last week, including transfers Jameel Brown, formerly of Penn State, and Lynn Greer III, previously with St. Joseph’s. Carl and the Tuff Fund take pride in “assisting our student-athletes with whatever they need, on and off the basketball court.”

Stanford and the Owls, led by first-year head coach Adam Fisher, took the AAC tournament by storm with their improbable run to the championship game. Temple ultimately fell short against UAB, but Stanford, the lone freshman last season, was in the middle of the thrilling run, including a 19-point performance against UTSA in a first-round matchup.

But the former West Catholic star’s role will change this season. Temple lost its top three leading scorers in Hysier Miller (Virginia Tech), Jordan Riley (East Carolina), and Jahlil White (La Salle) in the transfer portal. Stanford is now one of the core pieces returning to North Broad for the 2024-25 season after averaging 6.6 points and 2.3 rebounds over 36 games last year.

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“It’s definitely important that my leadership has stepped up because I know now the team is relying more on me,” Stanford said. “I got to stay focused at all the times. Got to make sure my team is focused. Got to make sure we are all ready. Because at the end of the day, now it’s up to me [to help lead this team].”

He was particularly close to Miller, as the pair were roommates. The now-Hokies guard was “a mentor to me,” Stanford said.”He definitely helped me get through the year when I had some hardships. He was there for me.”

Stanford spent the offseason improving his outside shooting (though he shot 51.5% from the floor last season) and working to be in even better shape than he was ahead of his first collegiate season. His conditioning will be key, he said, in playing longer minutes, with his role expected to grow, even with the additions of Jamal Mashburn Jr. (New Mexico), Greer, and Brown in Temple’s backcourt.

But more importantly, Stanford and the Owls are hoping to bottle the momentum they built by winning five of six games to close last season.

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“I’m definitely excited, knowing that we’re capable of making it to that position,” Stanford said. “Knowing the tools or the formula to make it to that [point], we already know what it is, so we just got togo from there. We know why we lost, so we’re coming to fix those flaws so we can win next time.”