By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

Sarrell Dental Center teamed up with the University of Alabama basketball team to hold its free Sarrell Basketball Kid Camp at the Selma Y.M.C.A. Saturday.

About 110 children ranging from 8-years-old to high school attended the camp and got to participate in drills taught by Alabama Crimson Tide players JaMychal Green, Andrew Steele, Trevor Releford, Charles Hankerson, Ben Eblen and Tony Mitchell.

Sarrell Dental Chief Executive Officer Jeffery Parker said the camp is great for the community.

“To have the University of Alabama basketball team, the NIT Championship team, come to smaller communities in Alabama that they never come to is a compliment to the community,” said Parker. “They wanted to come to Selma.”

Parker said the team’s appearance and the camp is also a celebration of Sarrell’s new dental center opening in Selma on Monday.

Sarrell is based in Anniston, and has 12 locations across the state and a mobile dental bus.

The players helped teach dribbling, shooting, defense and hustle drills to the children in attendance.

All-SEC forward and Montgomery native JaMychal Green said its great to give back to the community.

“It’s a great feeling to come out and give back to the kids because they look up to us,” said Green. “We’re just trying to be positive role models and show them that staying in school and getting your education is the way to go.”

Guard Trevor Releford said it’s important for the team to be positive role models because children look up to them.

“I think little kids definitely look up to us and when they see us here and on T.V. it motivates them to be successful,” said Releford.

Crimson Tide associate head coach Dan Hipsher, who also attended the camp, said it’s good to give back to the people twho support the University of Alabama.

“I think the Sarrell Dentist group is influencing kids and helping them with their needs in dentistry and here we are with the kids trying to get them involved in athletics and talking to them a little about education and about life,” Hipsher said.

Sarrell held a similar camp in Albertville on June 19 and left for Clanton after finishing the Selma camp the same day and after the players signed the shirts given out to camp attendees. Sarrell also hosts football camps and will hold another basketball camp in Athens on July 23.