THOUSAND OAKS : It’s Magic as Kids at Camp Have a Ball

About 350 youngsters watched Magic Johnson’s every move and were ready to obey his every command at Cal Lutheran’s gymnasium on Monday.

“Sit up straight,” he said to one youngster. The rest of those in attendance sprang to attention.

Johnson was working at the Thousand Oaks campus during his annual basketball camp, where 350 boys and girls ages 9 to 17 are learning the art of basketball from one of the masters of the game.

The camp, which began July 14 and ends Thursday, costs $490 for those who need room and board. It costs $415 for youngsters who commute to the workouts and do not live in one of the Cal Lutheran dormitories.

Some of the kids have journeyed thousands of miles to learn from the 6-foot, 9-inch Laker point guard, who is on hand about five hours a day, and from more than 20 coaches who work at the camp.

“They’re excited and scared,” Johnson said of the youths. “But once you high-five them, they’re all right.”

On a typical day, Johnson spends an hour talking to the group about his goals, the love he has for his father and the discipline he needed to rise to basketball stardom.

“I love basketball, and I love teaching,” he told the group Monday. “I hope you’re here because you love this.”

On the court, the youngsters work on various drills to improve their offensive and defensive moves and play endless scrimmages. At night, they watch basketball movies.

Ed Goorjian, an assistant coach at University of Nevada at Las Vegas during the academic year, directs the camp.

“He’s here every day, and he plays against them,” Goorjian said of Johnson. “They can’t help but improve.”

“He’s hard on you,” Krista Ragan, 13, an avid Laker fan, said of her idol. “But I like to be around him, just as a person. He’s real funny.”

Krista, of McAlester, Okla., has attended the camp for the past three years. Her mother, Susie, is one of the camp’s coaches.

Barbara Tsi, 15, said she didn’t know what she was in for when she traveled from Taiwan for the camp.

“It’s not as easy as I thought. Sometimes I get tired,” Barbara said. “You really have to hustle.”