Twenty Kamsack district youngsters who are interested in basketball will be able to participate in a 12-week program being offered in the community by the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Junior NBA program will be held at the Victoria School gymnasium every Thursday beginning January 25, Kev Sumner, Kamsack’s recreation director, said last week. There are 20 spots for children aged five to seven years, and seven of those spots have already been taken.
Because of sponsorship by the SaskLotteries Community Grant, persons registering for the program are being charged only $35 plus tax, and for that each youngster will receive a basketball and NBA T-shirt.
Kamsack is one of only four communities in Saskatchewan that are offering this program this year, Sumner said. Taneesha Greaves of Winnipeg will get the program off the ground and instruct senior students how to conduct the program.
The NBA ambassador for Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Greaves Greaves, is a former NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division 1 student-athlete (University of South Dakota). Recently, Greaves has been involved in basketball as a 16U provincial basketball team assistant coach, a coach for the Centre for Performance Training Program and a coach in the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association (WMBA).
Greaves has also directed numerous skill development camps as part of the program she started in Manitoba, as well as been a part of the coaching staff for various summer camps offered by the University of South Dakota, both of which serve to develop male/female athletes ages eight to 17.
At the program being held in Kamsack, participants will perform basketball drills and modified games on a lowered rim that are age-appropriate, simple and fun, said information from Junior NBA. Each session runs for 45 minutes, one day per week.
Junior NBA rookie division curriculum is Canadian Sport 4 Life/Long Term Athlete Development compliant, aligned with Canada Basketball's Developmental Pathway and has been developed by NBA Basketball Operations and a team of experts in child development and physical literacy, and basketball fundamentals.
The curriculum will take the children through series of drills and activities that will work on the following fundamentals: dribbling, passing, shooting, rebounding and playing defense.
Throughout the program, participants are taught essential life skills that ultimately provide a powerful positive influence towards their own personal development such as having a positive attitude, sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership, respect, health and fitness.
Every participant in the Jr. NBA Rookie Division receives: a colourful Spalding Rookie Gear basketball; an NBA team branded T-shirt; a completion certificate, and a Junior NBA poster.
The objectives of the program include: providing an entry-level basketball program for young children; building a community of league organizers, parents and coaches committed to minor basketball, and providing a fun, active and healthy learning environment.
Games will be modified to be age-appropriate, simple and fun, the information said. The program includes age-appropriate equipment, (a smaller basketball and lowered adjustable hoops) and modified games for children of this age range.
Persons wishing to register are asked to contact the Kamsack recreation office.
