Former UCLA star to host youth basketball camp
McCarter helped Wooden earn 10th, final title
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

Andre McCarter, the starting point guard on UCLA's national championship-winning men's basketball team in 1975, will host the Dr. Touch Spring Break Shooting and Ball Handling Camp March 24 through 28 at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center.

The weeklong camp is open to both boys and girls, 8 to 14 years old, and costs $250 per player.

"I'm going to keep the kids busy and keep them having fun," said McCarter, who played professionally for the Kansas City Kings (1976-78) and Washington Bullets (1980-81).

"I always tell the kids, 'I'm going to wear you out before you wear me out.' That's my attitude- to keep them busy and keep them thinking all the time."

In addition to teaching players the physical skills needed to excel on the court, McCarter's training also focuses on the mental aspect of the game.

"A lot of basketball players can compete physically," McCarter said, "but I try to work on the mind. The mental part is the most important part of the game, to me. . . .

"While I teach the game, it's not about just doing drills. I want to talk to the kids and give them perspective from a historian of all basketball."

McCarter's practice sessions also feature his patented Touch Glove, a fingertip-training device used by many professional athletes, basketball players and otherwise. All campers receive a pair of Touch Gloves for future training, McCarter said.

For more information on next week's camp or to sign up, visit the Agoura Youth Basketball Association's website at www.agourayouthbasketball.org. McCarter can be reached at (818) 984-6500. His website is www.touch-glove.com.