The Margaret River Basketball Academy held its first ever holiday clinic at the Margaret River Recreation Centre last month.
Led by special guest coach Jake Harris, a current State Basketball League player with the Cockburn Cougars and 2017 Basketball Australia Aussie Hoops Coach of the Year, over 25 local basketballers aged from 5-14 were put through their paces.
Split into beginner and intermediate sessions participants worked on developing their basketball skills in a safe, fun and game orientated environment. With a key focus on teaching the basic skills of basketball the holiday clinics were deemed a great success by Academy founder and local Margaret River resident, Nathan Trengove.
"We had a great turn out to our very first holiday clinics, I was hoping for 10-15 participants, so I was blown away with the turn out. The kids had a great time and all the parent feedback we have received has been super positive," Nathan said.
"The support we have received from the junior basketball association and parents has been tremendous. Due to demand we are now running two sessions during the school term - Beginner ballers for 6-9 year olds who are new to the game and a Skills Academy for 10-16 year olds who have played before but want to get better! These started on Monday and we had over 20 kids attend with more interested" he said.
Nathan, the current School Sport WA State 12s Head Basketball Coach and former State Basketball League player and referee, set up the Academy after identifying a need in the community for a basketball program targeted at those 6-9 year olds just starting the game and 10-16 year olds who wanted to continue to develop their skills during the traditional basketball off-season.
With basketball growing in popularity in Australia, the Academy is focused on improving the quality of junior basketball in Margaret River and aims to encourage more children to start the game at an earlier age. Nathan hopes the flow on affect from this will see the Margaret River Hawks Representative teams more competitive at regional and country championships.
With 10 per cent of all profits donated back to the Margaret River Junior Basketball Association, to pay for resources including equipment, coaching and refereeing courses, it is a win-win situation for all involved.
If you are interested in signing up for one of the sessions contact pro-fit@live.com.au or www.facebook.com/margaretriverbasketballacademy/
