Cats and Suns come together for local youth

Cats and Suns come together for local youth

By Amy C. Schweigert
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 21, 1996

Gregory Harris
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Phoenix Suns' alumnus Neal Walk talks to children during the basketball clinic coordinated by Camp Wildcat at the Santa Rosa Recreation Center, 1080 S. 10th Ave. The clinic helps disadvantaged children in the area.

A basketball clinic geared toward helping disadvantaged youth brought three alumni players from the Phoenix Suns to a Tucson recreation center Friday.
Camp Wildcat, a UA service organization, coordinated the hour-long clinic at Santa Rosa Recreation Center, 1080 S. 10th Ave.
Parmi Suchdev, Camp Wildcat day activities chairman and biochemistry junior, said the organization's goal is to aid disadvantaged children in the area.
About 30 area youths learned about team spirit and practiced basketball skills with Suns' alumni Connie Hawkins, Neal Walk and Frank Johnson. The players gave T-shirts and baseball hats to the children at the activity.
As the children posed for pictures with the players and Camp Wildcat members, Walk encouraged them to smile.
"You get an extra shirt if you smile," he said.
Friday marked the first time Camp Wildcat tried an activity such as this, Suchdev said.
"It was excellent. The Suns had a lot to say and I think the kids listened," he said.
Twelve-year-old Enrique Perez was attending the clinic with his 8-year-old sister, Erica.
"I like basketball," he said.
Erica said the players told her "you can do anything if you try."
Enrique said the layup drills were the best part of the clinic.
"I worked on my left layup," he said.
Erica said she was watching because "it would be neat to find out if they would be really good all-stars."
Megan Jones, community relations assistant for the Suns, said clinics are often held in the summer to give kids something to do. The Suns wanted to come to Tucson in the summer, but they did not have the chance, she said.