ROXBURY – Longtime Madison Park boys basketball head coach Dennis Wilson, 73, still vividly remembers the impact it had on him as a boy the few times he ran into Boston Celtics legend Satch Sanders in his Boston neighborhood.

Former O’Bryant star-turned-pro Wayne Selden Jr. is making sure to leave his own influence on the city’s youth.

The 29-year-old – who grew up in Roxbury, played at Kansas, and plays professionally overseas after a brief stint in the NBA – hosted his fifth annual free basketball clinic at Madison Park on Saturday with the help of local coaches and grandfather Anthony Pitts.

Over the camp’s six hours, kids as young as 3 years old interacted with Selden, were coached up over drills, competed for prizes, ate pizza and received clinic T-shirts. Many even got free haircuts.

“This is super important,” said Selden, who just wrapped up his season with Chorale Roanne in France’s top professional league. “Me growing up here, we didn’t really have much like this, you know what I mean? So, for me to be able to come back and do it every year – it’s growing. We’re able to see kids from last year, the year before, come back older, better. Not saying it was us, but just the fact that we’re able to be a small part in kids being better, kids having fun, kids being able to get outside the house and just do this on a Saturday is the biggest thing ever.

“These kids see me so much now, it’s probably kind of normal to them. At my age, seeing an NBA player or somebody that played professional basketball was out-of-this-world crazy because it was so rare to come across.”

Whether or not it’s as much of a rarity, the special influence of local kids spending time with someone from the city of Selden’s stature isn’t lost on Wilson.

Selden interacted with every age group, with older and younger players split up in different gyms and courts. They watched what a professional warmup workout looked like. They ran drills with him as he gave brief notes. He played plenty of one-on-one, answered questions and paid for all expenses not covered by sponsors.

Those six hours won’t immediately improve their skills but reaches much deeper.

“It’s immeasurable and invaluable,” Wilson said. “That’s what these kids need, they need to see somebody in the flesh that’s from the same background and neighborhood. You can make it young man or young lady. Right? All you got to do is dream big, follow your dream, work hard, commit to being better, keep your grades together. … It’s about what you instill in your players at a young age.”

Wade Stoddard, right, and Alex Dosouto, both 4, take part in the fifth annual free basketball clinic run by Wayne Selden Jr. (Photo by Reba Saldanha/Boston Herald)

“I would take him to deliver gifts to people who were less fortunate, so he was taught that (community building) at a young age,” added Pitts, a former juvenile parole officer who plays a large role in the clinic’s organization. “He gives back and he’ll continue to give back. Me being his grandfather, I’m very blessed and very proud. … You can see (the impact) with the turnout.”

That turnout included a new addition of 3, 4 and 5-year-olds with small toy baskets. Wilson emphasized how important it is for kids to be exposed to this type of mentorship so young, but the desired outcome was the same for every player that showed up.

“The biggest takeaway for me is showing the work ethic of it all,” Selden said. “Basketball is just the example we’re using today. Whether it’s basketball, it’s football, whether it’s computers or whatever you’re into, just having a passion for it. Just showing if you really, really put your mind to stuff and just work hard at it, anything is possible.”

Wayne Selden Jr. participates in a drill at Madison Park High School on Saturday during his fifth annual free basketball clinic. (Photo by Reba Saldanha/Boston Herald)

Selden spent seventh, eighth and ninth grade at O’Bryant before heading to the Tilton School. He played three seasons at Kansas and six seasons in the NBA and affiliate G-League after going undrafted in 2016. He’s played professionally overseas ever since, most recently in France.