ROCHELLE — The next generation of Rochelle Township High School boys basketball players are taking the court this week to hone their skills and learn valuable life lessons about teamwork, sportsmanship and more at the annual RTHS Summer Boys Basketball Camp.

The summer camp began on Monday and will progress through Thursday. Players ranging from kindergarten through eighth grade are working to develop different skills including passing, dribbling, shooting, defense and more.

“The camp is really the grassroots of the program,” Hubs head coach Tim Thompson said. “Even though the kids are at a variety of different levels, the camp is about helping the kids enjoy the game of basketball… We want the kids to have fun and come back every year so they can continue to develop from a young age. I’ve been so thrilled with the progress that some of the kids who come year-to-year have made.”

Campers are divided into two groups, with players from fifth through eighth grade hitting the hardwood during the morning session and boys ranging from kindergarten through fourth grade balling during the afternoon session. For the younger players, Thompson and his staff emphasize the basic skills as well as having fun and cooperating with one another.

“The younger session is really challenging but also the most rewarding and the most fun,” Thompson said. “They’re all at different levels so we try to put them in ability groupings regardless of age… We want them to get the ball into a hoop that they can work at in order to learn correct shooting. There’s a good core of about 20 third and fourth-graders that’s really skilled right now and that loves the game of basketball.”

When the older players take the floor, Thompson and his staff focus on more advanced techniques to help the boys prepare for different levels of competition including Rochelle Youth Basketball Association games, Rochelle Middle School games and eventually RTHS basketball games. Thompson said he and his coaches try to give the older players a glimpse of what a typical high school practice may look like.

“We take what grade level the kids are at and give them a 30-to-40 minute practice of what things would possibly look like at the high school,” Thompson said. “Getting into Triple Threat position, passing drills, shooting drills, learning proper defensive positioning and setting proper screens… We’re getting them prepared for what they would see in high school.”

While some campers are closer to entering high school than others, Thompson said the ultimate goals of the camp are to develop an interest in basketball at the youth level while helping kids learn important values that apply off the court. One of those values, Thompson said, includes being a good teammate.

“We want all kids to have a good time,” Thompson said. “We want them to have a good experience and we want them to continue coming to open gyms and staying involved with basketball.”