Weyburn Youth Basketball are getting ready to hit the court with registration open for their Jr. NBA program. In partnership with Basketball Saskatchewan and Canada Basketball, the Jr. NBA program helps teach kids from Grade 1 all the way to Grade 6 about the enjoyment and teamwork of basketball. Raeanne Galvin is the southeast coordinator for the Jr. NBA program, explains the program and help kids stay active.
“The program introduces kids to basketball from Grade 1 all the way through Grade 6. Grade 1 & 2 is a joint group, and they practice and learn how to play, learn skills and have fun and then our (grades) 3/4 and 5/6 are split into boys and girls. At the end of our season, we play a tournament in Weyburn. It runs all over the province, but in the southeast, we have communities in Maclean, Southey, Oxbow, Bengough, and Ogema participate in our year end tournament.”
The program has been well received over the years. Originally called the Steve Nash Youth Program, since its inception in the southeast nearly 15 years ago, parents and children have enjoyed the program and love to participate.
“Generally, we do get a lot of kids,” Galvin said, “Especially in the grade 1-2 level. They really like to start there and then as we go up lots of boys generally get started in it. Always looking for more girls to jump in, participate, and join us for some basketball fun.”
Registration is currently open for the Jr. NBA program, with the closing date being December 18th. The year end tournament dates have been tentatively set for March 29th for the Grades 3-6 girls and April 6th for the Grades 3-6 boys based on gym availability. The program also looks for volunteers to coach the programs as well. For more information, head to the Jr. NBA program website at www.skybasketball.ca, contact the Weyburn coordinator Hannah Paterson at h.souledge@gmail.com, or message the Weyburn Youth Basketball’s Facebook page.