The kids, about 80 of them in all, sat at midcourt in Crisler Arena. After a quick attention-getting clap, the main attraction started speaking. Within a few minutes, John Beilein gave more lessons about basketball than any of the 6-10 year olds had likely received in the span of their lives.

If anyone doubted Beilein could have easily been a lifelong classroom teacher instead of one of the better basketball teachers in the college game, the Michigan coach proved in a few minutes why he'd be good there, too.

He cracked jokes. He taught. He admonished a kid who interrupted his lecture, and he even answered the most important question a kid asked Tuesday morning: "Can I go to the bathroom?"

This was the first venture for Beilein into a camp for children this young at Michigan, an idea brought up and implemented by Director of Basketball Operations Jeff Meyer. Meyer ran the camp this week.

"I think our staff does a great job of really being patient with the youngsters," Beilein said after his 15-minute speech to the camp. "Lots of questions and it's another exposure to Michigan basketball. We've been trying to do that with our camps all the way from these types of camps to the father-son camps to the team camps, just trying to get more exposure for our program."

The counselors, made up of coaches and players, stressed fundamentals during the day camp session since many of the players are still in their formative basketball years. That they end up actually getting to know a couple players they can relate to once Michigan's season starts is merely a bonus.

Camps, though, are nothing new. Pretty much every school has some variation of team camps and individual camps. They are moneymakers and easy, free-to-the-school exposure to the next generation of basketball players.

One of the bigger concerns was actually the economy. Considering the state and nation's financial woes, adding another camp could have been costly. And managing the price of camps to fit people's finances is something Beilein is consistently aware of.

This year's camps ranged from $125 for the morning of the Junior Wolverine Day Camp to $425 if you were staying overnight for the Player Development Camp.

"We've tried to understand that and I think we're going to keep that in mind a lot in the future, what people can afford," Beilein said. "Because this is not an overnight camp, it allows us to keep the costs down. I think we have to look at all our camps and find out what's the best way to draw people to camps and yet make it cost-efficient for everyone."

For those not paying to be there - Beilein's current players working the camp - it gives them another way to see the game through the eyes of coaches.

"It gives our players, very importantly, a chance to teach and coach," Beilein said. "When they get to do that, they get a new appreciation of what we all go through. It's very helpful.

"They've been doing a bit of community service for basketball. We do community service. This is one basketball-related that they are understanding. You know how community service tends to help one's self-esteem. I think coaching is going to help one's understanding of basketball."

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2558 or at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com.