Camps, Seminars Fill Cal Lutheran’s Summer : Education: Magic Johnson teaches basketball as the university raises cash by hosting a range of activities.

The highlight of Sara Brown’s young basketball career came on Wednesday morning. That is when the Nordhoff High School senior took on former Los Angeles Laker great Magic Johnson during his summer camp at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

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“We’d like to think we gave him a run for his money, but we didn’t,” said Sara, 17, who, along with 85 other teen-agers, dribbled, passed and occasionally scored against the basketball great in a series of half-court games.

The athletes--who came from as far away as Japan, Australia and France--took over the school’s gyms, courts and parking lots for the camp, which Johnson visits each day during its four-day run. Tuesday, he took on five 9-year-olds at a time, beating all of the groups, whose members barely reached his belly button.

“He’s here with a smile on his face. You really get a sense he enjoys it,” Sara said as she waited for Johnson to address the weary players with pointers on the game.

Brown and more than 450 fellow athletes--ages 9 to 18--are among the slew of groups taking over Cal Lutheran’s rolling campus in the lazy summer months.

In fact, the athletic, church and educational groups that lease the school’s facilities for their camps and seminars are filling up more dorm rooms this week than students do during the rest of the year.

“This is our time to make money for the school,” said Director of Event Services Dennis Bryant, who says the university raises several hundred thousand dollars by leasing facilities. “It’s also an opportunity to give prospective students a taste of college life,” he added.

During this, the busiest week of the summer, the school is hosting Upward Bound in its classrooms and a series of sports camps--including volleyball, baseball and soccer--at its athletic facilities. More than 1,100 participants and their teachers and counselors are on campus this week.

“We have all of our dorm rooms full, and we even had to rent a few beds,” Bryant said.

The school also is preparing for 200 participants in a seminar sponsored by United Methodist Women as well as upcoming wrestling and cheerleader camps.

Cal Lutheran baseball coach Marty Slimac said he uses the school for his Lu Dawg Baseball Camp in the summer because the facilities are self-contained.

“The overnight kids get to experience dorms, cafeteria food and to be away with kids their own age for the first time,” he said. “Many of those who come year after year make friends for life.”

Magic Johnson’s camp, which has used Cal Lutheran facilities for more than a decade, continues to be the most popular summer event at the school, Bryant said. Coach Greg Lockridge at the basketball camp said he likes the location of the school. “It’s far enough away from everything that they can’t sneak into town at night,” he said as the oldest group participated in a question-and-answer session.

Johnson offered the teen-agers his thoughts on the Lakers’ recent draft choices, his speculated but unlikely comeback in the NBA and his fight with HIV.

The former superstar attributed his continued good health to his positive attitude. He shared some of his pregame rituals and encouraged young NBA hopefuls to stay with the game and with their education.

“When you have teams, you need talent,” Johnson, part-owner of the Lakers, told the admiring youths. “You’re gonna have to keep up your games because we need your talent.”