BRANDON – Another opportunity for youth to get involved in basketball has been unveiled by Brandon University. The Brandon Stars Basketball Program and Junior Stars have been launched, with the goal of getting more Brandon and Westman kids involved in hoops.
 
The Stars program is for students in grades 8-12 while Junior Stars is for kids in grades 3-7. Both programs aim to develop fundamental skills, as well as the ability to play in game situations by focusing on footwork, ball-handling, shooting, passing, creating shots, and playing team basketball, and most of all, having fun at the same time.
 
Sessions will include scrimmage and transition games, so that all aspects of the game will be put into live situations. 
 
"The level of interest and talent here in Brandon has improved so much these last few years. We have some great coaches in our community, and we are looking to develop these young athletes and all year round," says Stars Program creator and men's basketball coach Gil Cheung.
 
"We hope that our new Stars and Junior Stars programs will gain some momentum, and provide the kids in this community the necessary skills on and off the court to succeed."
 
The sessions will run weekly on Sunday mornings at the Healthy Living Centre from 9-11 am starting September 18 as part of the HLC's "Try it for free" week. The program will run every Sunday from September 25 through December 4.
 
"We will focus on fundamental skills with our Junior Stars program, and hope to develop a solid foundation with this group.  While the Stars program will be more advanced, and we hope to be able to create a club team after the sessions are complete," Cheung adds.
 
"The experiences and skills they will learn and develop, will improve their seasons with their school teams, and ignite a passion for the game."
 
The program will be led by Cheung as well as players from the BU Bobcats men's basketball team.
 
Click this button to register for Junior Stars (grades 8-12)