As two young basketball players ran through a one-on-one drill at the Burgo Basketball Association complex Monday morning, a well-known defensive specialist stepped in to give the defender a tip.

“You’re too closed-off to one side. You’ve got to even up your (defensive) stance a bit,” said the star to the young defender. “Otherwise, he’ll go right by you.”

The expert mentioned was none other than Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley, who will be in town for the next week or so to host two skills clinics for about a hundred or so young ballers. Bradley, who was named to the 2013 All-NBA Defensive Second Team, made a strong case to return to at least the second team, if not the first team, this past season. On Monday, he imparted some of the wisdom that has made him one of the Celtics’ most valuable assets on the young hoopsters.

Bradley, who’s spent six years with the Celtics despite being only 24, said he’s seen some of the most talented players fail while watching those who work hard day-in and day-out become more successful. He tries to impart that wisdom to younger players looking for advice.

“I tell them to stay consistent, and always believe that anything's possible if you put in the work,”
 said Bradley. “Hard work beats talent any day. There’s a lot of talented people out here . . . but there’s always someone that’s putting in more work.”

Burgo Basketball Director and Founder Steve Burgo said that he’d hoped for a bigger turnout, but he was still ecstatic to see the kids, Bradley, and the host of coaches and players who help run the camp interact.

“I’m very, very grateful to have Avery here,” said Burgo. “He’s so down-to-earth. Being involved with him is a good thing for us.”

Colin Wildrick, 13, and Jacob Camara, both of Dartmouth, also said they were very happy to be in the presence of a high-profile athlete.

“It’s amazing,” said Wildrick, who’d already had some help from Bradley with shooting the basketball off-the-dribble. “It’s cool to be around an NBA player.”

“It’s nice to have the assistance of a professional,” added Camara.

“It’s cool,” said first-time camper Ben Boudria, whose father Scott is the head coach of the Westport High boys basketball team and was one of several area coaches helping out at the camp. “It’s been really fun.”

“This is the age when you put your work in,” said Bradley’s brother Tim Mack, who was also on-hand to teach the kids some skills. “And their respect level (at a young age) is so much different. They’re so appreciative.”

Bradley said he hopes to continue to return to Dartmouth every summer to continue what he, Burgo, and others involved started last summer.

“First off, I love it. It’s something that I enjoy,” he said. “Being a professional athlete, it’s my duty to want to spread that knowledge and show that I care about the community. I honestly do. This is what I do — I love basketball and I love the kids, so it’s a perfect mix.”