Becky Taylor/The Tifton Gazette All campers’ eyes are on Tadric Jackson as he begins demonstrations of a complex drill during Jackson’s Elite Skills camp.

TIFTON — Tadric Jackson’s elite skills in high school made him not only one of Tift County’s all-time best basketball players, but one of Georgia’s top prospects.

Though he’s been a superstar at Georgia Tech and it’s been more than a decade now since the state championship he helped bring home in 2014, he keeps coming back home to work with local kids at his annual Elite Skills camp.

This was the fourth year Jackson returned to TCHS to host a basketball camp. He’s found a core to work with here and their progress has even him impressed.

“A couple of years ago I stayed away from the moves,” he said. This year, he decided to demonstrate a few different things. “They’re picking it up.”

Far from only dribbling straight forward, the campers were executing complicated fall fakes and fadeaway shots. There is a lot of promise in the group, he said.

Though he’s only down to Tifton only a couple of days to lead the camp, Jackson has been able to help these athletes grow. This group, he said, has been with him all four years. He’s touched so much by their loyalty that he said he has something special in mind next year if they sign up.

Jackson could simply be in charge of the camp, but that’s not him. He sweated as much as the campers on the hardwood, showing them every step of every drill.

The work ethic was reciprocated. When Jackson announced a water break, few took it. Instead, they wanted to play one another one-on-one.

“Take a break!,” he begged one who asked what they could do next after working on free throws. Jackson’s advice was ignored. The camper kept the basketball in hand and went back to playing.

Cone drills took up the morning, working on offensive moves. Defense and more games were to fill the last day, he said.

Neither Jackson nor former teammate Nate Thomas, one of those helping him out for the camp, could believe it’s been more than a decade since that title.

“There’s no way,” said Jackson on the passage of time. Both talked details of the season. Both were nostalgic for those days, the packed gyms. “People standing around at the top,” Jackson said.

These days, Jackson is helping coach, spending time with Dr. Eric Holland and Chris Wade at Rome, both who helped coach him with the Blue Devils.