He tossed it higher until it brushed a ceiling tile at Conner Middle School Wednesday night, and his mother, Angela, shook her head. Anthony, 3, dribbled away, giggling.

He was learning to play basketball and loving every minute of it.

Brown is among the dozen children ages 3 to 5 enrolled in Start Smart Basketball, presented by Boone County Parks and the National Alliance for Youth Sports. The six-week program introduces basketball skills and sportsmanship in an athletics environment free of competition or the fear of getting hurt.

Children shed jackets Wednesday as they entered their initial class, accepting a mini-sized basketball and regulation, lightweight basketball.

Parents were asked to complete a readiness test as their kids advanced through four stations: Dribbling and ball handling, shooting and layups, passing and catching and running and agility. Parents will assess their children's skills again at the program's end.

"From what I'm seeing so far, I like it," said Don Goode of Florence. "It gives kids a chance to learn to play without pressure - a place where kids have no peer pressure."

Goode brought his camera to photograph his son, Randy, and 5-year-old grandson, Spencer. When he was young, Goode said he learned the sport by playing in the street. Never as young as 5, and never with such positive support.

The class is a lesson in sportsmanship for parents, too. Jamie Morrison, one of two instructors, said parents came to an adults-only class the previous week to learn about encouraging attitudes.

"They're not supposed to yell at their kids or compare them to other kids," Morrison said.

Kara Foster wanted to enroll her daughter Hannah, 4, and son Reese, 3, in Start Smart for different reasons. Reese was an easy sell. She wanted to present Hannah - who loves dance and cheering - with a new perspective.

"I wanted to show her that sports weren't all male-dominated, teach her at an early age that girls do them, too," said Foster, of Florence. "I'm hoping they'll both walk away with teamwork and a good attitude."

Though many kids happily kicked the basketballs and tried playing with a nearby unmanned foosball table, they devoted most of an hour to shooting on mini-hoops, playing follow-the-leader around cones, dribbling and passing.

Angela Brown, of Hebron, was eager son Anthony to join Start Smart for the sharing and interactive skills, though he's already a huge NBA fan - and of one player in particular. Who?

"LeBron James!"

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com