Local youth basketball players had the opportunity to learn from a couple of people from overseas during the Best in the West player clinic at the Estevan Comprehensive School’s (ECS) gymnasium on Oct. 2.
The instructors started by working with the Grade 6-8 basketball players from the community, and then held sessions with the ECS Elecs girls and boys basketball teams.
Alex Sarama, who worked with the NBA in Europe for three years, and Joerik Michiels, who has worked with professional players on skill development, spent the evening helping the athletes with their fundamentals. Both are involved with the Elite Athletes Academy that Michiels started.
“He has really gained an international following here with some of the way he coaches things,” said Tanner Brightman from Basketball Saskatchewan.
Brightman has worked with the duo previously. The time spent in Estevan was part of a nine-location, six-day trip that took Sarama and Michiels from Onion Lake to Estevan, giving guidance to the kids looking to improve their fundamentals.
ECS was selected through a connection with Jessie Smoliak, the coach of the senior girls basketball team who used to be on the Basketball Saskatchewan board.
“She’s always been such a good host and so kind and everything like that, so I said it would be great if we could repay some of her kindness by bringing these two guys out. It’s a bit of a once in a lifetime opportunity for our kids to be coached up by guys like this who are coming all the way over from Antwerp.”
At each stop, they did anywhere from two to four different sessions with the kids, and tailored their presentation to fit the specific age group and the gender of the youths.
With the first group in Estevan, the emphasis was on footwork. Then they moved on to shooting with the Elecs girls, and small-sided games with the Elecs boys.
“We were teaching through the use of games that you could use in any sport, but were applicable to basketball concepts,” said Brightman.
He believes the camp will carry a lot of benefits for the young players, not just for Estevan but for the others who participated across the province. They learned from coaches from another country who watched the youths’ games and analyzed them and offered advice.
“You get that opportunity to say ‘I was helped by a coach who works with professional players and runs one of the largest and most successful clubs in all of Europe,” said Brightman.
