One-hundred boys and girls, ages 8-17, dribbled up and down the courts at the Tripp Athletic Center on the UMass Dartmouth campus. They joined the New England All-Star Basketball Camp on Monday, June 27, to develop their hoops skills, but had the added surprise of being trained by a star athlete for the week.

“I like giving back to the kids. I like to teach them things that I know—whether it’s basketball or life,” said Jordan Rezendes, a Wareham native and UMass student.

Rezendes will be off to Europe by September to play professional basketball, although he doesn’t yet know who he’ll be playing guard for. Rezendes is the leading scorer in the country for Division III basketball, averaging 29.7 points per game. He’s also fourth in the country for assists—passes that lead to a basket.

Rezendes started coaching for the summer camp in 2014, due to a great relationship with UMass basketball coach Brian Baptiste, who runs the program. Although Rezendes leads drills, the camp is divided into 10-person teams. Rezendes coaches the white team, a string of 12- to 16-year-old boys.

Although he struggles to remember names —having also worked a basketball camp at Massachusetts Bay Community College and run his own Rise Basketball Camp in Wareham—he said he clearly remembers getting one of last year’s students to score, even though it had been a challenge.

It’s a rewarding experience, said Rezendes.

“I think he’s the best coach I’ve had so far because he personally works with you,” said 13-year-old John Marcille. Last week, Rezendes helped Marcille master the left-handed dribble. “He showed me exactly how to do it. I had to relax and use my finger tips more."

Rezendes insists it’s all about giving back, and that he wouldn’t have gotten this far without support from the community.

“Most of the kids are from this area,” he said. Some of them come to the games and some of them know who I am, so it feels good.”

Rezendes said that although Baptiste can’t feed them enough following an away games—the 6’1” player prefers steak and lobster—he’s learned a lot from his coach. He mentioned Baptiste talking to him about when to pass the ball, and upon taking the coach’s advice, he was able to pass the winning shot to teammate Adakin Ackam.

“He’s a very likeable young man. All the kids look up to him,” Baptiste said of Rezendes. “He’s a good leader, a good captain, and a good teammate.”

Rezendes will also represent the United States in Division III basketball in Brazil this summer. He leaves July 19.

Camp sessions run June 27-July 1 and July 25-29, Monday-Friday. Sessions start at 9 a.m. each day and end at 3:30 p.m. Sessions including lunch cost $225; sessions not including lunch cost $195.

Visit the camp's Facebook page at facebook.com/NEAllStarCamp, or call 508-999-8724 for more information.