POSTED BY: Eurobasket Center
THE NMI Men's National Basketball Team will be taking advantage of the Saipan Basketball Youth Camp to learn tips which could be helpful in the team's title bid in the Micronesian Games.
The camp will be held from June 5 to 8 at the Gilbert C. Ada Gym with the Nationals assisting ex-NBA player David Wood and a few coaches from the mainland and Hawaii in conducting the four-day free basketball clinic.
National coach Rufino Aguon said that while helping Woods and the off-island coaches run the camp, the players can get ideas from the visitors.
"Ninety percent of the game's mental, so the more we get exposed to new ideas the more we can improve our game," Aguon said.
Aside from teaching basketball drills, the visitors will also be conducting a coaching clinic from tomorrow until June 3.
Aguon, along with the coaches from the organizing Basketball Association of Northern Mariana Islands, will be attending the four-day clinic.
"Knowledge is a key to success, so the more we have access to coaching clinics from off-island experts the more we can improve our programs here," Aguon said.
"This is a great opportunity for all of us and we will take advantage of it to the fullest," he added.
Meanwhile, tomorrow is the deadline for the registration for the youth camp, which is open to two age groups, namely those 8 to 12 years old and those 13 to 17.
The 8 to 12 year old participants will be attending the morning session from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, while the 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. session is for participants aged 13 to 17.
Organizers will only accept the first 150 participants in each age group.
Participants may register at the Ada Gym or at the Marianas Health Services office, which is located on the ground floor of Lim抯 Building on Beach Road, San Jose.
The youth camp will not only focus on basketball, but also on positive skills.
Wood's group, Athletes in Action teaches youth positive attitudes and the Gospel through basketball.
Before joining the group, Wood played for the Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. He also saw action in various leagues in Europe and Asia.
(Courtesy of Variety News)
