JEFFERSON TWP — By the end of the third day of the grueling four-day Keystone State Basketball Camp at Slippery Rock University recently, Matt Zanella’s whole body ached.

The 6-foot-4 junior forward at Knoch shrugged it off, much like he had shrugged of anyone trying to guard him in the paint at the camp.

“We basically played basketball from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day,” Zanella said. “Basketball is definitely my passion. It was extremely, extremely fun for me.

“I just took some ibuprofen, rubbed on some Icy Hot and got back at it,” he added with a laugh.

Zanella’s zeal got him noticed at the camp. He was named an all-star and also received the prestigious Best Inside Player award.

“I was very surprised and extremely happy about it, too,” Zanella said. “There were a lot of good post players there and we basically traded bucket for bucket.”

Zanella, though, has made his presence felt unexpectedly before.

As a sophomore last winter at Knoch, he was expected to see a few minutes off the bench, but by the end of the season, he was one of the most productive players on the roster.

He finished the season averaging 10 points per game as well as a handful of rebounds.

When he was on the floor, good things usually followed.

Zanella drew the praise of first-year coach Ron McNabb at mid-season.

“Z just has a knack for scoring,” McNabb said. “For a sophomore, he has a bright future ahead of him, and he’s a kid who will put the time in for us.”

The coach was certainly correct about Zanella’s willingness to work.

Zanella saw the Keystone State camp as not just an opportunity to get seen by college scouts and valuable playing time against he peers, but also as a way to improve his game.

“A camp like this helps you a lot,” he said. “It shows you where you stand and what you need to do to improve. They said I have a strong post game, I had very polished moves, good footwork, and I set screens well.”

To Zanella, that was all well and good. He was more interested in what the instructors at the camp thought he didn’t do so well.

“They said I was a little small to play post at the next level and that I needed to work on a jump shot,” Zanella said. “I have an above average mid-range shot from about 15-feet, but I need to get out beyond the arc and start making some 3s.”

He’s already hard at work on his outside game.

“I have high expectations for myself,” he said.

Zanella said he was most pleased at how he played against other posts who were a year older.

The camp split the players up into three age groups and Zanella was in the scholastic division with other juniors and seniors.

They played 5-on-5, 3-on-3 and 2-on-2 games throughout the four days, as well as intense drill and skill work.

Zanella’s 2-on-2 team advanced to the semifinals. His 5-on-5 team also fared well.

“It’s sometimes hard for post players to do well at these camps because the guards like to show that they can do everything, and the post players rely on the guards to get them the ball,” Zanella said. “Luckily for me, I was on a team with some unselfish players. As a post, what you have to do is work on defense and do what you can to hustle all the time.”

Zanella is excited about Knoch’s prospects this season.

With three starters returning, as well as Zanella, who was the sixth-man last year, the Knights could be poised for a huge campaign, especially if “Z” can put opponents to bed.

“If I can get my outside shot working, we can spread the floor for our guards,” he said. “It’s going to be a fun and good season, I think.”