Maleek Huff drives in against instructor Randell Collins, a former UNO player, during a layup drill at the New Orleans Hornets Summer Hoops Clinic in the Claude B. Pennington Center Thursday morning. Mike Kiral/Daily Star

Xavier University head coach Dannton Jackson stood in the middle of the SLU Claude B. Pennington Center Thursday morning, surrounded by more than 300 youngsters at the New Orleans Hornets Summer Hoops Basketball Clinic.

"Passion!" Jackson yelled into a microphone. "Passion!" came the response. "Purpose!" and "Pride!" soon followed, completing the motto of the 2007-08 Hornets and temporarily turning the Pennington Center into the New Orleans Arena.

Hammond, which was also a host last year, is the second stop on the Hornets Summer Hoops nine-city tour and is one of its most popular destinations.

"We have a great turnout here," Jackson, who is directing the clinic, said. "It's a great facility and a great place to be on a Thursday. There are a lot of kids here and hopefully we can impact some lives."

This is the sixth year for the Summer Hoops Basketball Clinic and it follows the team's most successful season since moving to New Orleans. The Hornets captured the Southwest Division for the first time and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals.

"It's a great way we can interact with our younger fans," Hornets Corporate Communications Manager Brittany Cranston said of the free clinics. "We can get out in the community and make sure we keep the excitement going throughout the offseason so that these kids and their parents are excited for next year as well.

"And it's a great way to keep these kids in shape. It gives them something to do and keeps them physically active. They can interact with other kids as well as adults who could influence their lives. That's what we're really after here for."

A broad mix of instructors, including former college players, coaches and Hornets personnel, took the campers through a series of drills designed to teach them the fundamentals of the game. From working on their footwork , dribbling and passing, the youngsters, ranging in age from 7 to 14, moved on to free throw, layup and jump shot drills.

"They can learn the basics of basketball," Jackson said. "That is what the game is all about. "They learn about 'Passion, Purpose and Pride,' a lttle bit about basketball and about life."

The youngsters also got to participate in a number of games and activities, similar to those conducted at halftime and during timeouts at Hornets games. Winners received Chris Paul jerseys while all participants took home A Hornets Summer Hoops T-shirt and a basketball.

While no Hornets players were able to appear dur to scheduling conflicts, smiles were still prevalent on the youngsters' faces as they interacted with their instructors.

"It's just our way to reaching out to our younger fans across the state of Louisiana," Cranston said. "One of the most important parts is that we go to different cities and towns in Louisiana so that all the kids around locally get a chance to hang out with some of the Hornets personalities and learn some fundamental basketball while having a blast while they are doing it."

The Summer Hoops clinics will be held every Tuesday and Thursday across the state through Aug. 7. The Alario Center in Westwego is its next stop Tuesday, followed by Chalmette High School Thursday and Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie the following Tuesday. The clinics conclude with trips to Baton Rouge, Mandeville, Slidell and Thibodaux.

"It gives the Hornets some exposure in the area," Jackson said. "We're right across the bridge so it's easy access to Hornets game. This is a chance to bring the Hornets to them, bring the atmpshere. We're just excited to come out and be a part of the community and have it be a part of Hornets basketball. That's really what it is all about."