PEABODY — Bishop Fenwick was busy this week as 46 girls took part in the annual Heart and Hustle basketball clinic, run by head girls basketball coach Adam DeBaggis. The clinic focused on more than skill development, emphasizing confidence, teamwork and leadership both on and off the court.

Now in its 12th year, the weeklong camp once again gave girls the opportunity to develop their basketball skills. This year, DeBaggis said he was especially impressed with the campers’ consistency and focus.

“They’re a consistent, hardworking and locked-in group. This is definitely one of the better groups we’ve had,” DeBaggis said. “There’s usually five to 10 girls who are a little bit on the outskirts or not as locked in, but this year it wasn’t like that at all. They’re a really good group collectively.”

In addition to leading the camp, DeBaggis relies on his current players to help throughout the week. From demonstrating drills to offering instruction and encouragement, he believes their involvement is one of the camp’s greatest strengths.

“Having my team here is always great. They’re so enthusiastic,” DeBaggis said. “I sometimes forget that younger kids look up to older kids. It’s so important to have current players there to be good role models. We really work on being good teammates and leaders, so my team helps show them the way. I think my current team is the most important part of a successful camp.”

Beyond helping the campers, DeBaggis hopes his players gain a better understanding of basketball by seeing it through a coach’s perspective.

“I learned more about the game as a coach than I ever did as a player. Having my players act like coaches, maybe they learn about the game and learn about how hard it is to do that aspect of the game, having to instruct kids how to complete a task,” DeBaggis said. “It’s a small skill of wording something correctly. If they are coaching up a player, making sure they word it correctly so they understand, I think that’s important to become a leader. Being in the coach’s seat is important for them and helps them learn how to be a leader.”

For the 46 girls attending the camp, DeBaggis wants them to leave with more than an improved jump shot. He hopes they better understand what it means to be a good teammate and a leader.

“I want the kids to learn what it means to be coachable and how to do drills the right way, not just get through them,” DeBaggis said. “We’re always harping on them to be a great teammate and keep the positive energy. We obviously do the dribbling, shooting and passing, but we really try to have them focus on how to be a leader and a great teammate. Those things are more important to us than the skills, even though we make sure to sharpen those, too.”

Scrimmages are a major part of the camp, but DeBaggis also emphasizes what happens off the court.

“When we scrimmage, we’re not just scrimmaging and everyone else is watching. When the younger girls are scrimmaging, the older girls are instructed to help on the sidelines,” DeBaggis said. “We want them to cheer them on and help with their defense. We want them to call out some of the focus areas we talked about during camp to reinforce them. We don’t want them to just stand on the sidelines and do nothing. We want everyone on the bench to be engaged.”

After another week of camp, DeBaggis said he is reminded why he continues to host it every summer.

“I always sleep horribly the Sunday before camp. I golf a lot and go to the beach like everyone else during the summer, so I’m a bit nervous to get back into coaching mode because I’m in summer mode,” DeBaggis said. “After the camp, I always have this rewarding feeling. It’s so great, and it reminds me why I love teaching and coaching.”