Cameron Hiller, 4 years old, can hardly wait to grab his mini basketball when he gets home from preschool Jan. 14, 2014. He dribbles through the living room and hoists a shot on the mini hoop hanging from the door to his backyard.

“Rasheed for three. Virginia loses,” Cameron says.

A day earlier, Cameron attends his first-ever regular-season college basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium — the arena he’s named after. So when Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon sinks the go-ahead 3-pointer from the left corner with 18.8 seconds left in the 69-65 win over Virginia, he becomes Cameron’s favorite player.

Cameron re-enacts this scene countless times until his second trip to Duke on Nov. 26, 2014, when he meets his idol after the game for the first time.

A little more than a year later, the two stand in an empty Xfinity Center. Sulaimon’s a member of the Terrapins men’s basketball team now, but Cameron still adores him. The 6-foot-4 guard grabs the 6-year-old and parades him around the court. Sulaimon tells him he’s the champion as they play pickup basketball for the second straight home game.

“That’s Cameron’s best friend right now,” says Robert Hiller, Cameron’s dad, while watching the two play. “They absolutely adore each other.”

On the trip back to this state the night after the Duke-Virginia game, Cameron falls asleep before they’re out of North Carolina. The game tipped at 7 p.m., so by the time they finish dinner after the game it’s long past Cameron’s bedtime.

A day later, he hasn’t forgotten what he witnessed in Durham, North Carolina. Each time he plays mini basketball around the house, he’s playing as Sulaimon, who dropped a game-high 21 points against the Cavaliers.

It makes it that much more special when Cameron meets Sulaimon after Duke’s game against Furman a season later. Sulaimon picks him up and they flash their index fingers to signal No. 1 as Hiller snaps a photo.

“It was no big deal,” Hiller says. “It was a nice little meeting, but nothing special.”

Hiller, who grew up a Blue Devils fan because of his mom’s ties to North Carolina, knows he has to take Cameron to Maryland Madness on Oct. 17.

The Terps are holding an autograph session in Xfinity Pavilion two hours before player introductions, but Hiller and Cameron are running late. By the time they get inside, the line is hundreds of fans long.

So Hiller stays behind and instructs his son to weave through the masses toward Sulaimon. Maybe the senior would remember him.

Soon, Hiller loses Cameron in the sea of adoring fans.

“I’m standing there in the back of the room waiting and I’m like ‘Where’s my kid?'” Hiller says. “I can’t see him. I’m 30 yards away I can’t find my 6-year-old. And then I see Rasheed shaking hands and talking to people and here’s Cameron at his feet.”

Sulaimon does remember him. In fact, Sulaimon’s mother, Angela, has the thank-you note Hiller wrote to Sulaimon after the Furman game.

So Sulaimon and Cameron pose for a picture, holding the photograph they had taken nearly a year earlier after Duke had beaten Furman, 93-54.

Guard Rasheed Sulaimon poses with 6-year old Cameron Hiller during Maryland Madness at Xfinity Center on Oct. 17, 2015. (Alexander Jonesi/The Diamondback)

The graduate transfer is still getting acclimated to life in College Park, so he can’t help but smile when he sees Cameron.

“When I saw him, it was kind of a bright spot and a familiar face,” Sulaimon said. “He’s a great kid, and like I said, kids are just kind of a soft spot for me.”

The Maryland Madness show is approaching fast and Sulaimon has to go, so he gives Hiller his phone number and tells him to text him afterward. They meet up briefly on the court and play for a few minutes with one of assistant coach Bino Ranson’s sons.

So when Hiller and his son come back to watch the Terps play against St. Francis (PA) on Dec. 4, they bring their own basketball for Cameron to play with on the court.

Long after most of the announced sellout crowd of 17,950 dissipates, Sulaimon remains on the court. The cameras are no longer on. The seats are empty. And most people have begun carrying on with their Friday night.

But there’s Sulaimon, shagging rebounds for 6-year-old Cameron. Hoisting him up to lay the ball in. Instructing him on the perfect shooting stroke.

For nearly 30 minutes, the two play on the court together.

“Whatever I can do to just make their day better, I’m willing and always able to do that,” Sulaimon says.

By the time they part ways, it’s long after 10 p.m. Cameron should have been asleep. He doesn’t doze off on the 25-minute ride back to Columbia, though.

Cameron has to keep telling his dad it’s the best night of his life.

“Over and over again,” Hiller says, “even the next day, it was the best night of his life.”

Eight days later, Hiller and Cameron walk up to the ticket window at Xfinity Center. Sulaimon has left a pair of tickets with their names on them.

“How does he know Rasheed?” the woman at the window asks.

“I’m like, I can’t even explain it,” Hiller says.

Hours later — after doling out a career-high 10 assists — Sulaimon lifts Cameron above his head. Cameron dunks the ball and hangs from the rim.

“You won the championship, bud!” Sulaimon tells him as the ball falls through the twine.

Hiller looks on from two rows behind the Terps’ bench with a smile plastered across his face. He tries to imagine having this chance to play with his sports hero growing up. Hiller says it would’ve been like playing with Cal Ripken Jr.

“It’s just beautiful to watch,” Hiller says. “To watch your kid have so much fun, there is nothing better.”

After awhile, Sulaimon makes his way over to the row in front of Hiller with Cameron running behind. They take a seat and Sulaimon begins asking him what he wants for Christmas. The conversation lasts about a minute before Cameron grows impatient. He wants to play more basketball.

“Want to see one more good thing I can do?” Cameron asks.

He runs back onto the court with Sulaimon looking on from the sideline. He’s losing by one, Cameron says, before beginning a countdown. 5…4…3…2…1… He heaves the ball upward with all his might. It doesn’t make it above the basket.

“Timeout,” Cameron yells.

This time Sulaimon begins the countdown. Again Cameron’s shot falls short, and again he calls, “Timeout!” Sulaimon and Hiller begin laughing.

So Sulaimon calls for the ball from the sideline. He’ll throw Cameron the inbounds pass. One second left. Cameron shoots again. Swish.

“They win the NCAA championship!” Sulaimon shouts toward the court in an empty Xfinity Center.

Both coach Mark Turgeon’s squad and Duke sit inside the top 10 in the Associated Press poll, so it’s possible the two teams may run into each other at the Final Four. But who does a boy named after the Blue Devils’ arena cheer for if they meet the Terps in Houston — Sulaimon’s hometown — this April?

On a ride down to Cameron’s third game at Duke on Dec. 5, Hiller turns to his son and asks the question.

Cameron doesn’t hesitate.

“Maryland,” he says.

It takes Hiller by surprise, so he asks, “Why Maryland?”

“Because Rasheed plays for Maryland,” Cameron replies. “He’s my friend.”