Summer all-star camps been a part of the basketball scene for years. Rival camps compete to lure the top high school prospects to their camps, not to teach them fundamentals but to show off their skills to hundreds of college scouts. In recent years, big shoe manufacturers like adidas and Nike have gotten into the act, adding college prep courses for those athletes interested in attending college. (The irony, of course, is that top high school players are heading directly into the NBA draft rather than attending college.) Soccer is now getting into the act. Adidas is launching the first all-star soccer camp รน a one-week session July 5-10 for 150 high school boys at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. The Elite Soccer Program is the brainchild of former adidas executive Ken Chartier. All the boys, rising sophomores, juniors and seniors, were selected by invitation upon the recommendation of scouts around the country. The players include members of the U.S. U-16 and U-18 national teams preparing for qualifying to the ’99 world youth championships, as well as inner-city players not currently part of the ODP system. The program includes morning training, afternoon schoolwork and evening matches. The highlight will be an all-star game at Giants Stadium after the MLS All-Star Game. Chartier, whose CC&C Management Group is based in Myrtle Beach, S.C., hopes to attract upward of 100 college coaches and MLS scouts.
