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Dominique Camp peeled back each flap of the cardboard box. Coaches and teammates, shaped in a circle around her and eagerly craned their necks forward. Upon seeing the contents, some gasped and others clapped. Felisha Legette-Jack wore an ear-to-ear grin.

“Coach Sharkey?” Camp asked, clutching one of many rectangular boxes. The first pair of customizable slides — an early Christmas present for the head coach’s team — was dispatched.

Hugs were shared and emotions poured out. Kyra Wood smiled in disbelief while Lexi McNabb immediately commented on how Orange the slides were.

“Hey, two claps for Dom on two: one two —” assistant coach Sue Ludwig started. And everyone applauded as the team broke down and headed off for its Christmas Break.

On Dec. 21 after Syracuse’s 85-43 win over Saint Francis, Camp gifted all of SU’s players and coaches customized slides, which she received through her Name, Image and Likeness deal with ISlide. Despite being sidelined for the entire season with a knee injury, Camp has used her veteran presence to coach SU’s crop of young guards and provide a positive locker room presence, which is nothing new for her.

After playing her first collegiate season at Sinclair junior college, where she averaged 19.1 points per game, Camp transferred to Troy as a sophomore before joining Legette-Jack’s Buffalo team for the 2021-22 season.

Under Legette-Jack’s guidance, Camp learned how to speak with younger players and guide them toward success. Camp had been a point guard her whole life, but said Legette-Jack “engraved” in her head to expand her role as an on-court leader.

my entire 🍊 family now has the best slides out! @islideusa

A photo posted by dcamp.11

Camp called this a challenge, but she understood she could connect with players in a way coaches couldn’t. She started 24 games and helped the Bulls reach the NCAA Tournament. Following Legette-Jack’s move to Syracuse, Camp transferred to Akron, where her role further evolved. Former Akron head coach Melissa Jackson knew what Camp was capable of after playing against her in the Mid American Conference.Camp took a back seat when she first arrived and let more experienced players be vocal. Yet by the middle of the season, Camp spoke up in film sessions and led player huddles in games and practices, Jackson said.

“She just has a unique ability to connect with different people, you know, both on and off the court,” Jackson said. “She’s a relationship builder. It really can go far, you know, transforming your team.”

After starting 29 games for Akron in 2022-23, Camp reunited with Legette-Jack at SU ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. She was named a team captain for the Orange but suffered a season-ending injury during an exhibition game against The College of Saint Rose.

Following knee surgery, Camp watched practice film on Hudl and noted where SU’s younger guards like Kennedi Perkins and McNabb needed to improve. Since then, she’s constantly pushed them, especially Perkins, who Camp said was “once in her shoes.”

Without the ability to make an impact on the court, Camp longed for other ways to be impactful off it. When she transferred to Syracuse in April 2023, she was put in contact with Dave Meluni, an associate teaching professor at SU’s Falk College.

Meluni, who teaches a class about NIL, worked with Director of Athletics John Wildhack to create an “NIL Study Hall” to help educate student-athletes about the changes to collegiate athletics. An email was set up where interested athletes could reach out, which Camp did.

Meluni said he educated Camp about NIL and how to build her brand on social media. The two discussed potential deals before her season-ending injury. A couple of days prior to her surgery, Meluni said Camp reached out to him to express concerns.

“Her concerns were that she was a team captain, she is going to be around, but she’s doing rehab,” Meluni said. “Is she going to stay relevant? “Not only with the team but with the fan base. She’s gonna come back next year. What does she do?”

Meluni set up a Zoom call with Camp and her mom to discuss possible deals. ISlide, a company based out of Boston that provides customizable slides, eventually came up.

Justin Kittredge, ISlide’s CEO, created the company in 2012 after working at Reebok for over a decade. It has since created partnerships with collegiate teams and professional leagues around the country.

The slides’ ability to be customized along with their comfort piqued Camp’s interest. Soon after speaking, Camp signed an NIL deal with ISlide and received slides to give to her teammates.

“It was the season of giving. I just chose to give my teammates and my coaches a gift to show my appreciation for them,” Camp said.

Bridget Overby | Presentation Director

Camp wanted the gift to arrive before the holidays, but problems arose. The team was leaving for winter break in less than a week and she needed every one of her teammate’s shoe sizes.

For Kittredge, time wasn’t a concern, saying he often deals with quick turnarounds.The day Camp reached out, they talked about different designs and Camp suggested the slides be engraved with every player’s name.

Then, Camp asked SU assistant coach Khyreed Carter to find out shoe sizes. And within 48 hours, the slides were shipped to Syracuse.

“(It’s) just something that I needed to do, to help the team continue to grow and for me to have an impact on my season,” Camp said.

Camp kept her gift under wraps for as long as she could. The only person she told was Legette-Jack. Though she wanted to surprise her head coach, Camp explained she couldn’t keep the secret from her any longer.

Before the reveal outside of the JMA Wireless Dome, Legette-Jack talked about Camp’s injury and what she’d been through. Suddenly, the normally stoic Camp grew emotional before unveiling the box full of slides to her teammates.

“I was really happy once I finally was able to get it to them because I had put in so much work in a short amount of time through you know, my pain and what not,” Camp said. ”It was definitely a dream come true.”

Not only did the slides signify a bond between Camp and her teammates, it displayed her growth over the years. Camp said she wasn’t paid for the partnership. She could’ve done a deal for her own financial benefit, but chose her teammates instead — it’s what she’s always done.

“These are people I go to war with every day and giving it to them specifically means much more,” Camp said.

Published on February 12, 2024 at 11:38 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22