Hundreds of students from first grade to senior year in high school had an experience they’ll never forget on Jun. 29 & 30: they got to pal around with Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson as they learned from some of the Chicagoland area’s best basketball coaches.

The fan-favorite big-man hosted his “Citi Taj Gibson Basketball ProCamp” at Niles West high school, though it was open to far more than just West students. Those who signed up for the camp flocked in from various locations, some traveling as much as 1200 miles to hone their skills with one of the game’s best defensive players.

Loved in Chicago for his hard work, hustle, and relentless effort on the boards, Gibson gave the secret formula for campers that have the same kind of success he has had in the NBA.

Gibson, the Team USA Olympic Mini-Camp invitee said, “I have energy when I play on the court. I go up for a lot of dunks and stuff like that. So, playing with [the campers], they just do the same thing involved with having fun.”

Camp participants started off their day at various drill stations that incorporated ball-handling, defensive footwork, shooting, and rebounding in order to acquire the most well-rounded basketball instruction they could. Gibson himself was on hand, and willingly gave campers pointers to improve their game while laughing with and playfully teasing them. After they warmed up with these drills, the competitive campers took part in basketball tournaments, in hopes of coming in first place and having the opportunity to face Taj in a game of “knockout”.

Winning team member of his division’s tournament championship and incoming junior Alize Mercado was on hand for the event, and he said he had a blast.

“The camp was fun and I feel like it really helped a lot with the fundamentals. What I liked about it [was] well, everything, but I especially liked how the coaches were all positive and how Taj was being active throughout all the groups all the time,” he said.

Though campers worked hard on their basketball skills, Gibson felt that there were more important benefits than just raw skills to walk away from his camp with.

“Believe in themselves and have fun.  It’s all about having fun,” Gibson said to the campers.