GRAND ISLAND, NE — The Huskers are spreading their love of hoops across the state.

10 men’s and 10 women’s basketball players hosted a camp for youth at Grand Island Senior High on Thursday.

Senior Derrick Walker views it as a way to give back to young fans.

“They come to our games and they watch us from all the way out here," Walker said. "It just means a lot for us to be able to come out here and interact with the kids, just have fun, give back to the kids, put a smile on their face, sign some things that they can take with them forever.”

He hopes playing sports helps kids get out of their shells.

“Kids being themselves is the funniest thing ever," Walker said. "They’re just kids, they’re enjoying life and they’re having fun with us. It’s always fun to see how competitive kids can be.”

Sophomore Allison Weidner isn’t too far removed from being like the campers. The Humphrey native grew up cheering for the Big Red.

“It’s an incredible feeling, I kind of grew up being a Husker fan so I know how it feels," Weidner said. "To see that it’s continuing down the line is really cool to see.”

Nearly 200 kids from 23 different communities participated. None of them paid a dime - an important piece of it for Walker.

“I never went to a camp as a kid," Walker said. "I feel like this is just an amazing experience for them to be able to come out here and have fun, have the day to just burn energy and also be with us.”

The players passed along a little basketball wisdom, but most of all worked to make sure the kids left with a smile.

“I know that these kids will be talking about this for a long time after this," Weidner said. "It’s pretty special to them and I know if I got this opportunity as a kid I’d be pretty excited too.”

The event was organized by Athlete Impact Management, a NIL collective focused on Nebraska basketball. The group contracted with Thomas Viglianco to run the camp.