Kids throughout Utah Valley spend time during the summer attending various sports camps. Some of the young basketball players spent time working on their hoop skills Thursday morning at the Flash Factory in Lehi.

While that isn't unusual, who was helping out certainly was.

Kids enjoyed a clinic put on by the visiting Iranian National Team -- that is preparing to compete in the Beijing Olympics in mid-August -- and the National Basketball Developmental League Ambassadors.

"This is great," said Mohammad Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, a forward/guard for the Iranian team. "We're happy to be here to learn and to see everything. Everyone is going to ask what we did here and we're trying to be very good ambassadors here."

The clinic also gave Utahns a glimpse of people who are part of the Iranian team and how they represent their country.

"I brought my kids down and I introduced my 6-year-old to one of the Iranian players," said Utah Flash owner Brandt Andersen. "He went up and gave my son a hug, then took him around and introduced him to all of the other players.

"They are a very loving, kind people. I've gotten invited to so many homes in Iran. You see they are just like us. They have the same concerns, hopes, worry about the same things. But I was really touched with how they treated my son."

The visitors from the Middle East haven't had a lot of time to sightsee in the area but are excited about the basketball opportunities they have.

"We haven't seen the city because we've been in the hotel and the bus and at practice so far," Bahrami explained. "This is a great chance to come play with good players, to play in the summer league. We're going to the Olympics, so we're trying to get some experience here. It's another kind of a basketball and we're trying to learn a lot of things."

It's also a great chance for some of the best players from the D-League to see the game from the eyes of their international counterparts.

"It's interesting to see them interact," said Ambassador head coach Joey Meyer, who coaches the Tulsa 66ers in the NBDL. "You'd think there would be a language barrier but a lot of the Iranians know English and if they don't they understand it.

"A lot of our players have played overseas and have a feel for it. But there are different cultures so the Iranians are going through a culture shock. Our players have been able to make it easier for them."

The kids got the chance to work on their dribbling, layup, shooting and passing skills with the tall, imposing Iranians and D-League players. Both groups of older guys appeared to enjoy the chance to relax and have fun with the younger generation.

At times they would play around by blocking shots or stealing the ball in a dribbling drill, while at others they seemed to have fun lifting the kids up to allow them to dunk the basketball.

"You see them interact with kids and I think all players love kids," Meyer said. "It's really fun to watch them."

Anderson explained the NBA approached the Flash and asked about creating the opportunity.

"The NBA approached us about the opportunity of hosting these teams and giving them a place to practice," the Flash owner said. "Relationships between countries go away when it comes to sport. This is more than an exhibition; this building bridges. It's an honor to have them here."

Both Americans and Iranians hope that the opportunities provided by the NBA will help to continue to build relationships between the two countries.

The D-League Ambassadors and the Iranian team also are spending time competing in a pair of exhibition games before competing in the Rocky Mountain Revue next week.

• Jared Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com.