NATCHEZ &045; Chris Norris was instructed to shadow Kevin Maris and help the son of the late New York Yankees slugger with the 25 or so kids in the Maris Memorial Baseball Camp.

The former Cathedral pitcher, however, found himself being more of a student.

Maris, despite his father’s notoriety as a home run hitter, was all about pitching on Saturday at the camp at Duncan Park. Norris, the left-hander who is trying to get back on the mound at Belhaven College, was all about listening.

&uot;You can never know enough &045; there’s always something new,&uot; Norris said. &uot;Especially with a guy like him. A guy like him knows so much and has been through so much in his life. It’s an honor to be with somebody like that. He’s an easy guy to talk to and makes it easy for the kids to learn.&uot;

Maris, Bobby Hill and others made it a morning of learning the finer points of baseball &045; well beyond the customary details a boy picks up during a season in Dixie Youth or any other league.

Hill, Maris’ assistant coach at Oak Hall High School in Florida and former head coach at North Natchez, worked with players in the infield. Other coaches worked with players in the outfield and in the batting cage.

Proceeds from the camp went to the Boys and Girls Club of the Miss-Lou.

&uot;I learned a new way to pitch,&uot; said R.J. Fleming, a standout on the Natchez Dixie Youth 12-year-old All-Stars this summer. &uot;Delivery and how to come set. It’s a whole new way, and it’s more comfortable.&uot;

It was Hill who perhaps had the most fun of anyone at the camp at Duncan Park’s Carroll-Jones Field. He didn’t take part in the golf tournament on Friday at Beau Pr but went all out on Saturday, particularly with the older participants, while spending time catching up with old friends and faces.

Hill coached at North Natchez until consolidation in 1989.

&uot;I enjoy what I do, man &045; I enjoy it,&uot; Hill said. &uot;The good thing about it was we had the right number. I’ve been involved with camps where we had 150 kids. Sometimes you lose the instructional part of it. There’s some talent out here. I really enjoyed it, and the other side of it was we had good help.&uot;

Hill, Maris and others worked with the players on pitching, hitting, fielding and throwing, along with the finer details in each category. Maris was able to work with the pitchers on finding that correct delivery, much like Fleming found out after working with a coach who along with Hill has put a countless number of players in the college and pro ranks.

&uot;A lot of the kids were real sincere, listened, worked hard and did what we asked them to do,&uot; Maris said. &uot;There was some nice talent. Hopefully they can take some of these fundamentals and remember some of it, and each time they hear something they’ll get better and better. It was a lot of fun, and we had a great time.&uot;

Norris could be a prime example of that. The left-hander pitched very little as a freshman in the spring at Belhaven and was still trying to get over a sore arm that kept him off the mound for most of his senior season at Cathedral.

Norris, whose brother pitches at conference rival William Carey College, hopes to get back on the mound next spring for the Blazers. But much like Maris pointed out to many youngsters Saturday, a change in his mechanics could do him justice.

&uot;I asked him a few questions about some stuff,&uot; Norris said. &uot;Listening to what he as telling the kids helped me out. He’s a great guy to work with and a great coach, and I had heard some great things about him. Hopefully this year I’ll get to use it to better myself.&uot;

Pitching is Maris’ specialty, and he’s been able to move several pitchers and position players to the next level from his Class 2A program near Gainesville, Fla. He quickly pointed out that although his father was a slugger by day, he was a student in all facets of the game.

Among players Maris has tutored include former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marty Janzen. Maris worked on velocity and control, which is derived mostly from the proper mechanics.

&uot;I just enjoy coaching them how to get to throwing the ball harder and throwing it where they want to throw it,&uot; Maris said. &uot;If you don’t have arm speed, you’re not going to be throwing it very hard. A lot of kids try to throw with their body, shoulders or head. Alignment is a lot of it.&uot;

Hill, meanwhile, was the most vocal guy in the camp and enjoyed teaching the infielders on footwork, turning a double play at second and playing the fence at first base.

Hill also serves as a scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he left with a good impression of Natchez High standout Charles Cothren after the camp.

Hill pledged to get him a scholarship after watching what the big left-hander could do on the diamond.

&uot;He’s got a big body, and he’s a left-hander,&uot; Hill said. &uot;The next thing, he’s real athletic.&uot;