When visiting with Cameron senior point guard Craig Foster, it’s really easy to describe him as humble.
But you don’t have to listen long to hear a solid steady confidence flow through his conversation. And rightfully so. Cameron is coming off one of the best seasons in school history with Foster as the floor general.
Photo by Brandon Neris, courtesy Cameron Sports Information.
And although he is clearly a scoring guard, he is always ready to get his teammates in on the point production.
“I love passing the ball,” Foster said. “Passing the ball is like scoring to me. As long as I get my team involved and we get the points and we get the win, I’ll pass the ball all game.”
The reigning Lone Star Conference Player of the Year, Foster has been having another great season. He is second on his team in scoring at 14.3 points per game and leads the Aggies with 4.5 assists per game.
But it’s the team that’s important for Foster, a Lawton High graduate, who is happy with his decision to play at Cameron.
“At first out of high school, I was planning on trying to go D-I, maybe to Stephen F. Austin,” Foster said.
“And then, I got into a little minor trouble in high school and Coach (Nate) Gamet stood by my side. So Cameron was my first choice.”
Coach Gamet was an assistant at the time and is now in his first full season as the Aggies’ head coach. His support of Foster has served him well in his current position.
But he isn’t the first big-time player in recent years to come through Lawton. Foster took last year’s LSC honors, and Milton Garner was the league’s top player the previous year. And Foster used the opportunity to learn.
“Playing behind Milton, he showed me how to play when a lot of pressure is on you.
“He showed me how to deal with adversity and pressure through the season. He helped me grow as a player.”
Foster, named a preseason All-American by two publications and National Player of the Year by Division II Bulletin, also patterns his game after another great guard.
“I really try to make my game like Chris Paul’s,” Foster said. “He’s a true point guard. He knows how to get his team involved and also knows that when it’s time to go score, he’s got to go score, too. I really appreciate that about Chris Paul.”
It has served him and his team well. Cameron is playing well this season (9-6 overall, 3-1 LSC) and coming off the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
“That was a great experience. It was an honor to help Cameron make it for the first time. And we were playing in that environment in front of some of the best teams in the country.
“I wish we would have won, but it was a great experience and knowing that we got there, we can get back again this year.”
The hunger to return is there and the Aggies have stepped things up in conference play. CU suffered a loss at Tarleton State on Saturday, snapping a five-game winning streak that included three LSC wins by a combined five points.
“Yeah, that’s a long story,” Foster said. “It’s going to be one-point or one-possession games every night. We just have to make a way to pull through.
“A lot of those are our fault. We’re not making free throws in tough situations coming down to the end. But once we fix all the little things, there shouldn’t be any more close games.”
There is just the remainder of the conference to fix those little things for the senior in his final go-round.
And a quick follow of his Twitter thread gives the idea that he doesn’t believe he is going through it alone. He speaks of blessings and hashtags the acronym AGTG.
“Waking up every day and being able to go play basketball and come to school is a blessing,” Foster said. “I came from a small town out of Texas and growing up I really wasn’t able to do the things I’m doing right now. So I’m blessed to be able to do all the things I’m doing right now.
Photo by Brandon Neris, courtesy Cameron Sports Information.
“And the “AGTG” stands for All Glory to God, so everything I’m doing right now is to give all glory to God. Blessings from Him.”
With that attitude as his basis, Foster goes out each evening ready to set an example for his team, while at the same time leaving a message for those who follow him.
“Play hard every chance you get, during the season and no matter what – live in the gym,” Foster said. “You’re getting a scholarship to play basketball and to go to school, so take care of your books and go to the gym and everything else is going to take care of itself.”
Always ready to give an assist, Foster is hoping his example will help future Aggies. If that’s the case, he’ll be scoring for the hometown for years to come.