By ROBERT L. LEE

INDIANAPOLIS – Demond “Tweety” Carter is in the news again, although this time it’s not for scoring the game high points total in a high school game. Carter was one of two, the first two, middle-school age players to ever have the opportunity to participate in the Nike All-America Camp. Derrick Caracter of Fanwood, N.J. was the other eight-grader to also exhibit his talents on the basketball stage before some of the nation’s top college coaches and NBA scouts.

The annual camp was originally designed to for the best 200 upcoming high school seniors and juniors from across the country, not for soon-to-be freshmen. But, after scoring over high school seniors for the past year and a half, Carter has proven he deserves his spot in the prestigious camp, no matter his age.

USA Today recognized Carter and this feat over the weekend, then discussed the topic of the younger and younger player trend in higher areas of basketball, leading up to the college and professional levels.

Nike Camp Director George Raveling told USA Today, the Nike officials will discuss the influx of such young players in basketball, but maintained the camp will continue to include mostly high school upper classmen.

He said the needs of growing numbers of such maturing players under the ages of 14 and 15 will need to be met, although he would rather see the younger players compete in an arena of only their age groups, rather than mixing them into competition with high school juniors and seniors.

Raveling said it was the mental and physical maturity Carter and Caracter possessed which earned them invitations to the Nike Camp.

Among Carter’s list of accomplishments, he averaged 23 points and five assists for the Reserve Christian School Eagles, and helped lead them to the 2002 State Championship. Carter totalled 25 points in the Eagles’ 70-57 championship bout over the Zwolle Hawks. Directly after completing the Nike Camp, Carter rejoined his River Parish Pros AAU basketball team in Tennessee to play a double header earlier this week.

“I get all different responses,” Carter told USA Today. “People are like ‘I can take you,” others stare at me like ‘I can’t believe you’re in eighth grade.’ I try to fit in, but that’s kind of hard to do.”