Basketball has been a big part of Kevin Kobitz’s life for as long as he can remember.
He played the sport as a youth, and his abilities allowed him to play at the collegiate level in the U.S. He has been officiating basketball since 2000, and he has been a mentor in the sport for his three daughters.
But family members aren’t the only ones who have benefitted from his basketball expertise.
Kobitz has been involved with the Estevan Student Basketball Association (ESBA) since 2005, passing on his passion for the sport to more than 1,000 young people in the Energy City. But he has decided to step aside as a coach after more than a decade of involvement.
“Now that my daughters are of age and they’re out of the Estevan Student Basketball Association, I thought it was time to move on and work with more of the higher levels, as in the club girls teams, and the junior girls at the Comp (Estevan Comprehensive School),” said Kobitz.
Also factoring into his decision is the ability of Shayne Davenport, who is Kobitz’s long-time assistant with the ESBA. Kobitz believes Davenport will do a great job.
“If he needs help at any time, I can come back and at least give him a hand and assist him,” said Kobitz.
Kobitz’s involvement with youth basketball dates back to before the ESBA. He was involved with a program called Stars, which looked to develop basketball skills among youth in grades 1 to 6. He was a volunteer coach for a couple years.
But Stars ended in 2004 after just a couple of years in the Energy City.
The following year, the late Deb Lindquist started the ESBA and approached Kobitz about coaching. Lindquist had a daughter who loved playing the game.
“She got a hold of me and asked me to coach it, and I said ‘Yeah, sure,’ since I was already doing a very similar program prior to that,” said Kobitz.
The EBSA doesn’t have an association with the local schools, which have their own basketball programs, but Kobitz said they support all basketball programs in the Energy City, and he believes the EBSA helped local youth prepare for school basketball programs.
The ESBA runs separate eight-week sessions during the fall and winter months. About 70 youth are divided into three age groups: Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3 and 4, and Grades 5 and 6.
Each age group would get a one-hour session every Monday. Sessions usually happened at Pleasantdale School.
“It helps them get out into a sport they might not otherwise take up,” said Kobitz. “There were always other sports out there, but basketball was never looked at as a big sport in Estevan. I think we helped out with kids getting more interested in basketball, and actually helped out the school programs ahead of them.”
Youths learn and build such fundamentals dribbling, passing and shooting. In the winter months, the Grade 3 and 4 youths, and the Grade 5 and 6 players, competed in three-on-three games, which Kobitz believes added to the fun of the classes.
“The kids just wanted to do more,” said Kobitz. “I find kids want competition. Bringing in the competition helps make them better basketball players overall.”
Kobitz enjoyed watching the players develop, not just when they were in the EBSA, but when they played in elementary and high school.
“They would take my teachings and actually develop further on their own,” said Kobitz. “It was just fun to work with some different kids.”
If a youth wanted extra guidance, Kobitz would provide it, or he encourage them to attend a basketball camp.
The EBSA’s enrolment numbers have fluctuated over the years, but they are great right now. They have full classes with a wait list to get in.
“I’ve found the Grade 5 and 6 age groups have increased over the last three or four years,” said Kobitz.
The recent success of the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs in the annual McLeod Series basketball competition against the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles – the Elecs have won it the last three years – might be a factor in the program’s growth.
Kobitz said he has received a lot of positive feedback from parents and children over the years. Many parents have told him they’re sad that he is retiring. The support has been very encouraging, he said, and he suspects he will his involvement with the EBSA once the program resumes in the fall.
