A hands-on instructor, Danny Manning works his basketball camp with a whistle around his neck.

It’s a whistle the 6-foot-10, 240-pounder blows with great frequency.

“My biggest pet peeve is when people don’t pay attention. If you don’t pay attention, you don’t have a chance,” the former Kansas University All-American said matter-of-factly.

He had the undivided attention of about 250 youths Monday morning at his Danny Manning Camp at Sport2Sport.

“We go hard with everyone. We expect everyone to play hard and pay attention. The goals are always the same,” said Manning, who has held 13 camps in Lawrence since being drafted No. 1 overall in the 1988 NBA Draft, “to come out and learn the fundamentals of the game and have a good time. I think the kids have a lot of fun.”

Manning isn’t the only instructor at his camp.

Some of the counselors include former Lawrence High players Maurice Trotter, Tim Turner and Mike Harding.

“We’re working with the campers on ball-handling, getting open and getting your teammates the ball,” said Harding, who has coached AAU basketball in the past.

A driver’s license examiner, Harding is taking vacation this week to work the camp and provide some coaching for his daughter, 12-year-old Brittany.

“I have a lot of fun doing this. The last time I worked it was in the early ’90s when Danny first started it,” Harding said. “Reggie (Mayo, ex-LHS player) was here watching his son. My daughter is in the camp. It’s really enjoyable to see everybody and try to contribute.”

Former Lawrence High coach Ted Juneau, who coached both Manning and Harding, stopped by Sport2Sport during a break between the morning and afternoon session.

“I think this is great. It’s something I know Danny really enjoys and has committed himself to doing,” Juneau said. “A lot of guys don’t do as much as he does. I think it’s great for the community and always has been great for him.

“It’s always an opportunity for him to keep his fingers on what’s going on in basketball in Lawrence.”

As far as the future, Manning, 36, isn’t sure if he’ll have a camp next summer. A lot is uncertain right now with Manning, a free agent, looking for a new NBA home.

“I don’t know,” Manning said, asked if he’ll play for a fifth team in five seasons. “I would like to, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Manning, who played for Dallas last season, said he wouldn’t be signing with Chicago, a team that had shown some interest in the former Jayhawk.

“No, that is not going to work out,” he said. “I don’t worry about it. I don’t worry about things I can’t control. I’d like to play, but if it doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out. If it does it does.”

Manning has been spending quality time with his wife, Julie, daughter, Taylor, and son, Evan, this summer.

“My whole life is more than basketball,” Manning said. “Basketball is the life people know about. Basketball is just a part of my life.”

Manning has said he’d like to get into coaching.

“I think Danny has a vision of what he wants to do when his career is over,” Juneau said. “I think everyone wants to go out on their own terms. Hopefully he’ll be able to do that. For anyone to play as long as he has and contribute in the league as long as he has, it’s a tribute to his talent and work ethic. Danny is a great example for kids, working as hard as he has year in and out.”