LEWISTON, Maine — Like many middle school students across Maine, Amar'e "Russell" Murchison said his favorite Boston Celtics player is Jayson Tatum or Jalen Brown.
While the sixth-grade point guard didn't get the chance to meet either NBA All-Star Wednesday, he could "size himself up" to a life-sized poster of Tatum inside the Lewiston Armory. It was on display during a free Jr. Celtics Academy clinic put on by the Maine Celtics.
However, that poster wasn't the only way the 100 campers could experience a taste of TD Garden Magic.
"Lucky," the Boston Celtics mascot, made the trip to Lewiston to perform some of his high-flying dunks he displays during games. The mascot even spoke to the young basketball players about his career journey and shared some advice to the kids.
"It’s my hope that by sharing a little bit of my story and my success, I can help these kids find their own path," Lucky said after slamming multiple dunks. "It’s by far the most rewarding parts of the job so I always look forward to these."
The Celtics host these clinics across the state year-round, but Wednesday's camp was a great opportunity to get kids active during winter break.
"We build a foundation around basketball, it starts with a little bit of stretching, getting them loose, some ice breakers, [get the kids] to meet someone new," Waseem Givens, director of youth basketball for the Jr. Celtics Academy, said. "And then little by little, we’ll build up to game play, so they can take those skills that they learned and put it to action."
Givens grew up playing basketball and said the sport can be intense for kids trying to learn skills or play for fun, so, he said these camps create a safe and positive environment for kids of all skillsets.
It's also a chance to give kids, like Murchison, the chance to have fun and smile, which Givens called "super exciting."
"They taught me how to do a real pump fake," Murchison said while demonstrating. "I’m excited to be here today because I get to learn more before I have [basketball] practice today, and I’m just excited to learn more moves and pass it on to my teammates."
The free camp also came during a tough stretch for Lewiston as the city continues to heal from October's mass shooting. Campers were handed out "Lewiston Strong" rally towels that the Maine Celtics gave out to fans during the team's Lewiston Strong game earlier this month.
"We just want to come back and show that Boston Celtics support and kind of be here in any way that we can," Givens said. "We’re one big community and when something happens it affects all of us, so we try to give back from the Boston Celtics, use our brand for good."
The Maine Celtics played Wednesday and beat the Oklahoma City Blue 117-111. Because the G-League standings reset after the winter showcase, Wednesday's game was technically the first of the regular season.
The Celtics play again in Portland on Sunday Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.