To know Merv Lopes is to know these things:

» He loves to fish. Throw net preferred.

» He loves to teach — not coach — basketball.

» He believes in miracles. Ralph Sampson’s Virginia team of 1982 can attest to that.

Another miracle is what Lopes, the former Chaminade basketball coach, says he needs. And unless he gets one, the storied Pete Newell Big Man Camp will die quietly after 35 years, having seen its final footwork drill Friday evening at Manoa Valley District Park gym.

"The coaches don’t want to quit," Lopes said in between sessions Monday. "I don’t want to quit.

"But it’s hard to keep asking favors from people. We’ve had some unbelieveable help to keep Pete’s legacy alive, like Donn Takahashi of the Hawaii Prince (hotel). But, and I hate to say it, unless a miracle happens, this is it."

Newell, a Hall of Famer who won an NIT, an NCAA and an Olympic championship, died in 2008 at 93. The former general manager of the San Diego Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers began the Big Man Camp in 1976, moved it to Hawaii in 1993, and then to Las Vegas in 2003.

The camp, which develops centers and forwards from high school, college and the pros, returned to Hawaii in 2009. It has survived for the past three summers on reputation, generosity and Lopes’ credit card.

"It will be disheartening if this is the last one," said camp coach Otis Hughley, currently an assistant with the Sacramento Kings. "It’s impacted lives, it’s impacted the game. I first came out (14 years ago) because of hearing how it changed players’ careers, how some of them were able to play an extra four to five years because of what they learned.

"Anyone who has come is not the same player they were when they left … if they took advantage of what was offered. I’m amazed at how far some of them progressed, and how others fell off because they didn’t take advantage of things."

The camp alumni roster reads like the NBA Hall of Fame, present and future. It began with Kermit Washington, who later returned to coach, and continued with big men such as Bill Walton, Kiki Vandeweghe, James Worthy, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal and Nene.

"I can’t name all the great players we’ve had, there’s too many," Lopes said. "Sometimes we had to turn them away, put them on waiting lists, or separate them in two sessions.

And we’ve had great coaches, too, like Kiki, Rick Carlisle, Tim Grgurich, Mark Iavaroni, Stu Lantz, Jarinn Akana. The players came to get what Pete had to offer. He had a network with the NBA."

A few things have contributed to the lower profile of the camp, which used to draw NBA scouts and college coaches. Among them are the travel restrictions after 9/11, the rising cost of travel to Hawaii, the economy in general, Newell’s death and, this year, the NBA lockout.

"And most of Pete’s guys in the NBA are gone and we don’t have the same connection with the new guys," Lopes said. "But we try to keep Pete’s name alive, keep his vision. Some guys say, ‘Well, Merv, just change the name.’ I can’t. His name is still magic. I have gone to China, to Korea, and handed them my card with ‘Pete Newell Big Man Camp.’ They all say, ‘Oh. Famous man.’"

Newell didn’t ask Lopes to help with the camp.

"He told me I was going to do it," Lopes said. "He kept giving me more and more to do.

"I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of this because what we do is make good citizens as well as good basketball players. Pete was so akamai with the game. He said that quality footwork gives you a quality basketball player, which can lead you to a quality person."

This week’s roster has a dozen college players, most notably Gonzaga’s Matt Goode, Jordan Henriquez of Kansas State and Marquette’s Chris Otule. There are also 14 high schoolers in camp, including Nalu Simao and Makana Harrison of Kamehameha, ‘Iolani’s Duke Pauli, and four from Taipei.

The only pros are potential ones.

Lopes’ nickname when coaching Chaminade was "Merv the Magician." In the 1980s, his teams upset then-No. 1 Virginia, SMU and Louisville (twice).

He knows all about miracles. And he knows which one he needs as he nears his 80th birthday next year.

"The miracle is someone saying ‘Merv, whatever you want to keep the camp going, we’ll help you,’ " he said.

» Petenewellbigmancamp.net