“Quality over quantity.”

    This has become the unofficial slogan for Lester Stewart and his youth basketball camp, Trinity Hoops. And it’s easy to see why, with Stewart — the boys head coach at Sho-Ban High School — plus two former Idaho State basketball players leading the way as coaches.

    “Anyone who is working with Trinity Hoops is someone who not only knows basketball, but is a good person overall and loves working with kids,” Stewart said.

    This year — the third for Trinity Hoops — former ISU guards Chase Grabau and Lakeith Gardner have stepped into the forefront to help train the many kids who will attend camp.

    “I’m good friends with Lester and I originally did this as an internship through school last year,” said Grabau, a 2012 ISU graduate. “It was great working with the kids. This year he asked me if I wanted to come back and do it again for a little money, and here I am.”

    Grabau and Gardner represent years of playing experience at the collegiate level. That, combined with the basketball knowledge and coaching expertise of Lester, makes Trinity Hoops one of a kind in the Pocatello area.

    “It’s all very helpful. If you need a little bit of help you come here,” said Dylan Anderson, a 13-year-old from American Falls who attends Trinity Hoops camp. “This is to help you be a great basketball player. They teach me everything.”

    “I think it’s good and the kids like it,” Grabau said. “Some of the kids that come and work out with us watched us play. They know who we are and they kind of look up to us a little bit. It’s quality work outs, information and instruction that we’re giving these kids at a price that fits for the parents.”

    That price — $45 per participant — covers fundamentals of shooting, ball handling, passing and personal instruction from Stewart, Gardner and Grabau.

    But this year the camp will be separated into age groups and there will be different sessions for boys and girls — all at Sho-Ban High School.

    “I noticed the younger kids, they tend to want to have fun while they learn,” Stewart said. “The older kids get pretty competitive. We separated them, and we’ve separated between boys and girls.”

    The camp is for kids age 6 to 14. Boys will go June 4-6 and girls June 11-13. The sessions for those ranging from 6 to 8 years old are from 10 a.m. to noon, 9 to 11-year-olds go from 1 to 3 p.m, and 12 to 14-year-olds are 4 to 6 p.m.

    Registration begins 30 minutes prior to each session.

    Stewart wants to see the gym at Sho-Ban packed with young basketball players. He’s hoping for at least 50 boys and 50 girls.

    Last year Trinity Hoops coached 30 players,up from 12 in 2011.

    “There are a lot of girls in Pocatello playing basketball and we definitely want them to come to camp next week,” Stewart said. “The boys in town love playing basketball, too.”

    Stewart is grateful for the opportunity to teach and coach kids, his true passion.

    “I’m in Pocatello, Idaho, and originally being from Chicago, if I was there, I’d probably be doing the same thing,” he said. “I’m in Idaho, so I’m going to do it. I’m going to live out my dream to help kids and to coach no matter where I’m at.”

    For questions regarding Trinity Hoops camp, contact Stewart via email at thba2011@gmail.com or call (208) 380-0346.

    “I’ve been blessed enough and fortunate enough in life to be able to play a little bit, coach and work with a lot of different basketball players,” Stewart said. “I have people around me who want to do the same thing. If kids want to play basketball, this is a great place to learn.”