JUNIOR NBA Program benefits youngster

Oscar Bellfield, 14, matured and was ready to set an example.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Oscar Bellfield is 14 now, two years removed from a life-altering trip he took to Philadelphia for All-Star weekend as part of a little-known, league-sponsored program called the Junior NBA.
The eighth-grader, now being recruited by several top area high school programs, shared his experiences this weekend with the 10 youngsters, ages 11 and 12, who were selected for this year's Junior NBA national team.
"It seems that we couldn't have picked a better player," said Nadine Glinski, director of the Junior NBA program. "His grades were on the rise at the time, and the Philadelphia experience positively influenced his life."
Bellfield, a 6-footer who plays out of the Pan Pacific Recreation Center, threw down two dunks Thursday night in a 70-point victory with his parents watching proudly from the first row of the wooden bleachers.
Experience
Just two years ago, their pride and joy was a shy child before flying to Philadelphia for All-Star weekend and playing at halftime of the Rookie Challenge. The experience of performing in front of 20,000 fans gave Bellfield an ego boost he never expected.
"One thing I remember about him was he was well-mannered and listened," said Baron Davis of the New Orleans Hornets. "A lot of times kids go to camp to play basketball, but you could see the passion in this kid's eyes to get better and to heed what people were telling them."
The results were clear to Jerry Chambers, a former NBA journeyman who now runs the glistening recreation center in West Los Angeles.
Bellfield came back a changed child, more mature, less shy and ready to set an example.