Carter hits hardwood at Mainland By KEN HORNACK Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH -- Vince Carter isn't showing any gray in the beard he's growing. But if nine NBA seasons don't qualify him for gray-beard status, the decade he has spent conducting basketball camps in his hometown does. Carter's 10th year of hosting a week-long camp concludes today at Mainland High School in the athletic center that bears his name. As part of the final day of activities, camp participants between the ages of 8 and 17 and their parents will get to watch the instructors play in a scrimmage, with the teams divided based on who graduated before or after Carter did in 1995. And, yes, the seven-time all-star will be in action doing more than pulling up for 3-point shots against the under-30 crowd. "We compete," said Carter, sporting what could be called a playoff beard if not for the two months that have passed since he and the New Jersey Nets were ousted from the Eastern Conference semifinals. "We have a good time with it. Of course, I'm older than them, so I can't just up and fly like they want me to anymore." It's been a busy month for him, and not just because of the four-year contract extension he signed a week ago with a reported worth of more than $61 million. Carter also flew out west to attend the ESPY Awards -- his reaction following LeBron James' baby-dunking skit was the one the cameras caught -- and hosted the players and coaches on the Nets' summer league team at his home in Orlando. But the most time-consuming project of all could be the basketball academy portion of the Vince Carter Summer Jam. On the days when he has commuted from Orlando instead of spending the night nearby at his mother's home, it's typical for Carter to wake up at 5 a.m., get to Mainland by 7:15 and stay there until 7 that evening. "I enjoy doing this, plain and simple," he said. "I just enjoy being out here." While Carter tries to challenge some of the more accomplished players at the camp to perfect their skills, he also finds satisfaction in instilling confidence in boys and girls to whom the sport doesn't come easily. He cited an instance where a girl had grown frustrated over her inability to complete a layup drill. "She said, 'I can't do this. I can't do that,' " Carter said. "And I said, 'I guarantee you will, and I'm going to teach you how.' I just showed her, and once she made her layup, she was like, 'Oh, OK. I'll be all right.' " Carter didn't miss a regular-season game because of injuries for the first time in seven years and averaged a career-high 25.2 points for the Nets. But even before they were eliminated in six games by James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, rumors were swirling that he might look to latch on with the Orlando Magic or the Charlotte Bobcats as a free agent. It was a new experience for Carter, who was winding up the six-year extension he signed earlier in his career while starring for the Toronto Raptors. "That's how it goes," he said. "And I was never like, 'Oh, I would never come back to Jersey' because I love it. I love playing with J (Jason Kidd), and I love playing with the team that we have." That team has already undergone a change at center, gaining Jamaal Magloire, but losing Mikki Moore to the Sacramento Kings. Moore had moved into the Nets' starting lineup after a season-ending knee injury in December to Nenad Krstic and was almost as valuable as Carter, Kidd and Richard Jefferson were against both the Raptors and Cavs during the playoffs. "It's really hard to match Mikki's intensity," Carter said. "Jamaal's great and he has great size and rebounding (ability), but Mikki just brought a lot to the table -- his heart, his energy, his effort, his willingness to give his all. We're definitely going to miss that." The Nets captured conference championships in 2002 and 2003. Carter, who didn't join them in a trade from the Raptors until December 2004, believes they can add a third East title next season. "It's wide open," he said. "If we add the correct pieces to the puzzle, it definitely could happen. We'll see." http://0rz.tw/112Q8 --

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