BARBADOS’ BALLERS will get to shoot ’em up with one of the NBA’s best marksmen – at no cost.
Former Seattle SuperSonics gunner Dale Ellis is bringing his talents to Bim later this month, helping to conduct coaching clinics as part of a free FLOW Youth Summer Camp catering to players aged 17 and under.
Director and former Clapham Bulls guard Andrew “Ballou” Harvey disclosed Ellis’ arrival for the August 18-22 camp as part of his grand developmental hoops programme, Ballout Coast 2 Coast.
“What I’m trying to do really is to help the game but sticking mainly to youth development and with him coming in then the kids are definitely going to be drawn to this camp,” said Harvey, who is also a coach at youth level.
The camp will cater to two age categories – under-18 and under-12 – with a specific eye on teaching the fundamentals of the game such as passing, dribbling and, of course, Ellis’ specialty, shooting.
A former three-point shootout contest champ, Ellis is best remembered for his accuracy from behind the arc as he currently sits seventh all-time in NBA three-point shots made with 1 719 in a career that spanned 17 years with the SuperSonics, Mavericks, Bucks, Spurs, Nuggets and Hornets.
But his scoring prowess went far beyond the long-bomb game, with Ellis making the 1989 All Star Game and an All-NBA Third Team after tallying more than 20 points per game in the late 1980s and early 90s.
He was even voted the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 1987 before ultimately having his jersey retired at the University of Tennessee.
It’s his ability to assist that will be his biggest asset, though, as Harvey continues to search for much-needed help for
a sport that suffers from low participation at the junior levels.
“This programme is designed mainly to assist with junior basketball in terms of bringing back mini-league because I find that without a mini-league structure, the standard of junior basketball is way below where it should be here in Barbados,” said Harvey.
“In terms of development, I just think it is very hard to progress in the sport [if you] don’t start at a very young age. From my coaching experience, [if you’re] 16 years old and you haven’t played at least 50 competitive games
then you’re going to have a problem.
“And I grew up in an era playing mini-league and from that you can see where Clapham basketball is at, where the basketball in Dayrells Road is at and where the basketball in Pinelands is at, and they all played mini-league ball,” he added.
At the end of the camp, Harvey intends to host a week-long tournament for the same age groups.
And that will serve as the launch of the inaugural Ballout Coast 2 Coast initiative that will see a group of 20 basketballers at the primary school level receive coaching along with academic mentoring every Saturday morning for three years.
“Instead of just getting a basketballer we are delivering a well-rounded athlete,” he said.
A venue has yet to be decided on for both the camp and tournament.
