Lakeland boys’ basketball coach Clint Wright is once again offering rising third- through 12th-graders an introduction to basketball or an opportunity to refine their abilities in the third annual LHS Skills Camp, running July 27-30 at Lakeland High School.

Wright’s camp differs from many other basketball camps given its laser-like focus on skill development, refraining from pitting players against each other in five-on-five, three-on-three or one-on-one showdowns.

“My camp is based on the kid competing against the drill itself, so therefore I can have a third-grader, a fourth-grader, a fifth-grader and a junior in the same drill set,” Wright said. “They’re not competing against, physically, each other.”

He said this is what helps make the camp so attractive not only to basketball players but also to young people that are saying, “I wonder if basketball is a sport that I would be willing to play?”

At least 10 to 15 percent of his campers are participating to answer that question, he said.

All participants will get an idea of what it is like trying out for the Lakeland varsity boys’ team.

“Some of the items that we do are part of our preseason training,” Wright said.

The camp will run from 5 to 8 p.m. each day, and it will begin with a focus on offensive skills.

“There will be four stations,” Wright said, noting they will include a field goal shooting station, a passing station, a dribbling station and a conditioning station.

“Then, the second half of the camp, it will shift to the defensive perspective,” Wright said.

One station will deal with footwork, another will deal with defensive techniques like reading and reacting to offenses and a third station will deal with boxing out, closing out and defensive rebounding outlets.

The fourth station will remain focused on conditioning and plyometrics, the latter of which is a system of exercise in which the muscles are repeatedly stretched and suddenly contracted.

Wright said the camp will feature a high level of intensity in training its participants.

“We’ll have eight-minute quarters, and they’ll rotate stations every eight minutes,” he said.

Campers will continue with the aforementioned offensive and defensive stations for four days, while Wright and his assistant coaches ensure there is no deviation from the right methods.

“They’re instructed to correct the kids immediately, not to let it go on,” Wright said.

The cost to participate is $50 per camper, which covers the cost of a camp T-shirt.

To register online, visit LHS.spsk12.net.

Walk-ins will be accepted.

For more information, contact Clint Wright at LHSvbb@gmail.com.