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American Morning

High Hopes for Six-Year-Old Hoops Whiz

Aired July 24, 2001 - 09:58   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: He is still too young and too short for a career in the NBA, but a little boy in Lansing, Michigan, is proving he does have the moves on the basketball court.

BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Reporter Mike Vitale of CNN affiliate WLNS has the details of a possible protegee on the courts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VITALE, WLNS REPORTER (voice-over): He is sure to become a only six years old. Charles Tucker -- or Cha-Cha, as his family and friends call him -- has been bouncing a ball since he was two years old. As world-renowned basketball handler Tanya Crevier found out, he can hold his own. Cha-Cha says he practices 30 minutes every day. That helps make him pretty good.

CHARLES TUCKER JR.: You've got to have a sport, and if you want to be good at the sport that you want to play, you have to practice.

STEVE SMITH, NBA STAR/TUCKER'S GODFATHER: Cha-Cha has a lot of talent, and he's a good kid. I think whatever he does, he puts his mind to it, and he wants to dribble and better. So Cha-Cha's been teaching me.

VITALE: Being that he's only six, it would seem that college is a long way off, but Cha-Cha says one school is already on his list.

TUCKER: Michigan State.

VITALE (on camera): I think the front-runners right now, if you were to play college basketball tomorrow, would they be Tom Izzo's guys you would like to play for?

TUCKER: Yes.

VITALE (voice-over): It wouldn't be a surprise for Tom Izzo to start recruiting him so young. That was the case of Marcus Taylor.

Speaking of Marcus Taylor, Cha-Cha says they have had some run- ins on the court.

TUCKER: I played him once, and he was about to dunk, and I kept on taking the ball out of his hand every time he jumped up for it. VITALE: And for those concerned, Cha-Cha could go straight to the NBA, but Mom was quick to point out skipping college wasn't an option.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that report was from Mike Vitale of our affiliate WLNS.

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