The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Stingers Basketball Youth Association continues to expand its growth following a successful series of summer camps which have transitioned into a year-long programme.

Head coach Stephen Strachan and his team hosts the camp 10am to noon every Saturday at the AF Adderley Gym.

“After camp a lot of the parents were saying they like what they saw and they wanted their kids to continue to play. It started off by tutoring one or two patients and then it got bigger and bigger and I opened it up. Once that happened players started coming. There are players who are on basketball teams who just want to be tutored and to get better there are players who aspire to be on basketball teams that may have gotten cut but they are training now in advance to make that team and then you have other players that just want to be a part of an organisation,” he said.

“It’s something that’s organised and they find this was the place for them. For a lot of them the dribbling has improved, the shooting has improved, their team concept has improved and that’s what we are about.”

Approximately 50 student-athletes take part in the programme and Strachan highlighted parent participation as one of its major key contributors.

“The parents are entertained because they are seeing their little one who didn’t have these skills, they are playing in organised scrimmages and they are seeing the vast improvement played out in games, not just drills,” he said. “These kids look forward to it. These Saturdays giving them the opportunity to play in an organised setting with uniforms, referees, playing a game. The parents are encouraged by these things.”

The Stingers are scheduled to host the 9th edition of their annual summer basketball camp at the DW Davis Gym June 27-July 15. The camp is open to both girls and boys aged 6-18, 9am to 1pm Monday to Friday.

In addition to Strachan and his team, this year the camp will be facilitated by Tony Hobbs, head basketball instructor at Bridge Basketball Academy.

Located in Duncanville, Texas, Bridge Basketball Academy considers itself a “basketball specific player-development company founded in 2012 to serve the needs of individual basketball players by providing them access to great player development.”

A press release stated: “Our specialty is taking players from their current level of play and advancing them to the NEXT level. Bridge trainees represent every advanced level of basketball NBA, overseas, Division I collegiate basketball Division II collegiate basketball, Division III collegiate basketball, Nike EYBL, Adidas Grassroot along with other top tournaments around the nation as well as recreation play.”

Over 30 local AAU clubs have players that specifically develop their technical skills at Bridge Basketball Skills Academy.

Strachan said that with an experienced staff of coaches and trainers, the coach-to-student ratio is one of the major benefits of the camp.

“The numbers are always manageable, our camper per instructor ratio works well. Here you will get a lot of reps, you will learn the skills and fundamentals of basketball and you will become a better player,” he said,

Since its inception, the Stingers have produced a number of players who have gone on to play at the collegiate level and Strachan said he will continue to search for players with the talent to excel at the sport.

Stephen Strachan Jr recently completed his redshirt sophomore season.

“The Stingers, since we have been in existence, a number of high profile players have come through, the Stingers organisation has produced a number of high profile players that have gone on to university and even the professional ranks, such as J R Cadot, formerly of TCU and now playing professionally in Europe, D’Shon Taylor and Desean Jackson at John Brown University, Tehran Cox of Liberty are just a few of the examples,” Strachan said.