Young students from various schools across Georgetown got a first hand learning experience on the fundamentals of basketball during the first day of the Afterschool Basketball Programme, which jumped off at the National Gymnasium yesterday afternoon.
A little over 20 enthusiastic students, male and female, between the ages 9-15 attended yesterday’s two-hour session of the daily programme, where they learnt the basics of basketball and were exposed to positive words and enlightenment from the programme’s motivational speaker and coach, Cecil Chin.
“It went well, we started well. The kids were enthusiastic and ready to go, so the clinic is moving,” said organiser of the programme, Robert Cadogan, when contacted by Stabroek Sport yesterday.
“We started from scratch where basketball is concerned… It can only get better,” he added.
Cadogan explained that some of the students already had basic basketball skills, but some were less inclined when it came to handling the ball.
However, he observed that there
was no big difference in the kids in terms of their knowledge of the game.
“It’s just that some of them are now starting to play.
“We introduced them to ball handling and gave them feel of what basketball is like,” Cadogan related.
He stated that because it was only day one of the programme, which is scheduled to run from Monday to Friday weekly, the participants were only given the “basic knowledge” but said the students will be introduced to more technical aspects of the game as the programme progresses.
“The kids are now starting so we have to pay a lot of attention to them… when we move from one fundamental we will be going into another, because the kids must be comfortable with one aspect before we move on to another aspect,” Cadogan explained.
He revealed that all the designated coaches were available to deal with the full complement of male and female participants.
Some of the coaches working with the participants yesterday were, Cadogan, national junior team coach, Mark Agard, Courts Pacesetters basketball club coach, Dennis Clarke, Courts Pacesetters Division One player, Naylon Loncke and senior female national player Tameke Joseph, who is mainly responsible for the female participants.
Cadogan observed that though female students were in attendance, they were outnumbered by the males and this needs to be addressed.
“We have to appeal for more girls to become involved and appeal for more female participation,” he said.
Cadogan also expressed his gratitude to all the sponsors of the programme, whom he credited for their assistance to “jump start the programme and provide basketballs and equipment”.
Some of the sponsors are: the National Sports Commission, Washington DC Jammers basketball club of the United States, the Haynes Foundation, Dr. Colin Watson, HJTV, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, Curtains and Drapery Designs, Trendsetter Auto Spares, Express Shipping and Brokerage and Giftland Office Max.
