Angelina College head men’s basketball coach Kyle Manary, his staff and players spent all last summer and fall connecting with area youth. The goal at the time was to foster the types of relationships that would build continued interest in the AC program while helping fuel even more passion for the game.

This week, Manary and his crew got the opportunity to work with the fruits of those labors.

The Kyle Manary Youth Basketball Camp held at Angelina College’s Shands Gymnasium opened on Tuesday and will wrap up on Thursday. On Wednesday, girls and boys ages 8-18 covered the gymnasium floor, receiving instruction from AC assistant coaches Nick Wade (camp director) and Eric Colbert, along with local high school athletes such as Central High School standout Riley Dewitz.

Those in attendance ran numerous drills ending in scrimmages, with plenty of one-on-one instruction from the instructors.

Manary said the big turnout is proof the program and the community have formed what he hopes will be a lasting relationship.

“We’re excited that we’ve had such a good turnout,” Manary said. “It just shows how the effort, the energy and the investment that our players from last year put into the community is starting to pay dividends. We’re starting to get a lot of kids from the area back in the gym at Angelina College, and that’s what we’ve been looking for.

“They’re having a ton of fun doing station work and a lot of drills and a lot of games. Nick Wade is doing a tremendous job running everything as the camp director. We’re thrilled to have all these young people back here with us.”

The camp runs from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Thursday.

The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.