12-YEAR-OLD SHOOTS TO NYC; FIRST-YEAR PLAYER LOVELL WINS CHANCE IN SHOOTOUT.

Byline: Heather Gripp Daily News Staff Writer

He's only in his first season of organized basketball, but he's already earned a chance to participate in the NBA All-Star weekend.

Jameson Lovell of Simi Valley earned a trip to New York to participate in Saturday's NBA Van Jam Shootout. The 12-year-old - one of three West Coast representatives - will represent Los Angeles and shoot it out on the same court as the stars for a chance to attend Sunday's All-Star Game.

Lovell's journey to New York started before he even knew it.

``I was waiting in line in a sporting-goods store with my daughter,'' recalled Lovell's grandmother, Ann Dye, who submitted Lovell's name in a random drawing when she was visiting from Maryland last fall. ``I just saw a box there and decided to fill out a slip. I didn't really even know what I was entering. It was just something to do. I never dreamed he'd win. I never win anything. I was absolutely flabbergasted. I never thought he'd win, especially since I entered him.''

Without knowing he had been entered, Lovell received the call that he was one of the lucky few whose name had been selected.

``I didn't even have a clue she entered me until they called,'' Lovell said.

But it took more than that to get to the All-Star festivities. Competing against approximately 50 other contestants, Lovell scored four out of a possible eight points while taking a variety of shots.

``I made the first layup, then I missed the next four, then I made the 3-pointer,'' Lovell said. ``It was really close.''

There was only a one-point difference between him and the rest of the pack, but it was good enough to send him to the final.

In New York, Lovell will have 30 seconds to make as many shots as he can from increasingly difficult distances.

``I'm very excited,'' he said. ``I'd like to win. But I'm just excited about going to New York. I've never been to New York before.''

Lovell, a sixth-grader at Township Elementary School who enjoys playing a variety of sports, is playing in his first season of organized basketball - he's a member of the Warriors from the Simi Valley Parks and Recreation Department - but he is no newcomer to the court. He said he has spent years ``playing every day at school.''

As he takes an early jump to the big time, Lovell will have plenty of support when he tests his skills in New York. His family, including his grandmother, will all be there rooting him on as takes the biggest shots of his young life.

``I'm going to take my camera with a lot of film in it,'' Dye said. ``I still can't believe it.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo

PHOTO Jameson Lovell of Simi Valley won a trip to the NBA All-Star weekend in part because his grandmother entered his name on a whim. His name got drawn, then he showed shooting prowess.

Evan Yee/Daily News