While the Los Angeles Lakers were on the road, Spectrum SportsNet hosted a basketball skills camp for 60 local youth from the El Segundo Parks and Recreation Youth Basketball League. Instruction was led by SportsNet studio hosts Allie Clifton and Chris McGee, and analyst James Worthy.
The kids were put through drills that tested and honed core fundamentals of the game, including free throw shooting, layup lines and passing. “Coming in the gym is always a win,” Clifton told LakersNation.com.
“Surrounding yourself with people who want to inspire to just play the game and be free, over the last couple of hours that’s what we did. At the end of the day we just had fun. It was playing hoops. What’s better than that?”
Following the clinic, the SportsNet Lakers team spoke with the group about the importance of setting positive goals. That portion of the day also included a Q&A session for the SportsNet personalities.
One of the highlights included Worthy being asked who he believes is the greatest player of all time. “A lot of people go by how many championships (a player has),” Worthy began to answer.
“If you go by how many championships won, that’s going to be Bill Russell. But for me, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. A lot of people haven’t seen his full body of work, including what he did in college, how he changed the game.”
The clinic was another in a growing list of initiatives and activities Spectrum has hosted in the local community. The network hosts regular Lakers and Dodgers nights at their studios, and have now arranged three skills camps.
“At Spectrum SportsNet, we believe in engaging in the community, because they are the people that support us,” Worthy said.
“Annually, several times a year, we like to give back. This is just one of many ways we’re able to do something. Bring the kids in for a free clinic, give them some drills and things they can work on, and let them know that we care. It’s a great day, and I’m happy to be here.”
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