Pasadena Star-News
Basketball clinic helps area youths boost 'A' game
By Sonya Geis
Staff Writer
Monday, July 11, 2005 - MONROVIA
When Rodney Jefferson was growing up in Monrovia in the 1970s, there was no YMCA, no Boys & Girls Club and no summer camp.
"I used to have to go to my cousin's house in L.A. to have programs' in the summer, he recalled recently.
So five years ago, Jefferson launched a local initiative to give kids the kind of option he would have liked during long, hot Monrovia summers: the "A' Game Fundamental Basketball Clinic.
Every year in August, dozens of children from fifth through 11th grade spend a week learning to pass, dribble and shoot the basketball. The cost is significantly less than many other summer programs. Sponsors such as the L.A. Clippers, McDonald's and local businesses pay for lunch and T-shirts.
Jefferson ensures students pick up a lesson or two on sportsmanship and teamwork along the way. And professional basketball players, coaches and referees drop in to encourage students to focus on their goals and dream big.
"Those are the growing years for kids,' Jefferson said in an interview at a Monrovia coffee shop. Jefferson, 44, is a former high-school and community-college player and coach, who worked most recently as a recruiter for the Citrus College basketball program. He has the easy, in-charge manner of a man used to wearing a whistle around his neck.
"We have so many kids in the city with a lot of athletic ability that are not transitioning on to college,' he said. "That concerns me.'
Jefferson brings in the professionals to serve as role models. At this year's clinic, which runs Aug. 1 through Aug. 5, the line-up includes Corie Blount, a former Monrovia High School basketball star who played for the University of Cincinatti, then moved on to the Chicago Bulls, the L.A. Lakers and the Toronto Raptors.
Other speakers and trainers will be Jim Harrick, who spent eight years coaching at UCLA; Chris Shevlin, an NCAA official for more than 15 years; and Bryant Markson, who also went to Monrovia High School and is now a college player in Utah.
Shevlin said he comes out to the clinic every year to pass along the importance of respect and discipline.
"They can be the greatest player in the world, but if they don't have the grades, they can't keep going,' he said. "I think what Rodney's doing is a wonderful service to the community.'
Duarte City Councilwoman Lois Gaston agrees. Her two grandchildren come in from Claremont every summer to attend the clinic.
"They look forward to it,' she said. "It's not only physical fitness. He also teaches the fundamental principles of how to be a good person, a good citizen.'
Jefferson also trains students in respect, said Monrovia City Councilwoman Mary Ann Lutz. Lutz has observed the clinic for the past five years.
"You get 50, 60 kids, and Rodney blows his whistle and says, 'Quiet' boom! it's quiet,' she said. "He says, 'Sit on the floor,' and they're on the floor. It's phenomenal to see the respect he gets from them, and in turn the respect they get for themselves.'
The clinic is not all about work and learning, Jefferson said. When the celebrities visit, it can be just plain fun.
"Some of these kids have never seen a professional sporting event,' he said. "Corie Blount is 6-foot-10. When he comes out all the kids are going, 'Dunk it! Pick me up so I can dunk!' The parents are out there with cameras. It's great.
"Kids don't forget those things,' he added. "To us grown folk that doesn't mean much, but to them it means a lot.'
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