Young basketball players and coaches attending a training clinic by renowned American basketball coaches say the training has given them an opportunity to learn from the best and be able to sharpen their skills as far as basketball is concerned.

The training camp which was held in conformity with covid-19 regulations kicked off on July 19 and will be concluded on July 31.

It seeks to equip players with the basic fundamentals of the game, as well as educating coaches on how to better nurture young talents.

Overall, this year’s edition attracted 94 young basketballers and 23 local tacticians from across the country.

Players were divided into two categories; those under 14 years of age and others under 17.

Speaking to Times Sport, Blessing Gasana, 16, one of the beneficiaries of the program said that attending it helped him to gain vital skills, adding that it is a stepping stone to his dream of becoming a great basketball player in future. 

"We gained a lot from this camp. We’ve had great coaches and learnt new drills, and how to shoot and dribble. I hope to use these skills to become a greater player and play for the national team,” she explained.

Kelvis Kenzo Ganza Mugabo, 16, a student of Wellspring Academy also liked the experience.

"They are teaching us very good basketball. We are sharpening our skills and they are taking care of us very well," he said.

"I am going to use these skills in my daily life, because they are some of the important things in basketball, and with them, you can be a great player," he added.

Mugabo said he has great ambitions in the basketball game, where he sees himself going professional sometime in the future,

"I see myself playing professional basketball, and getting a scholarship to play in a great college," he said.

Patrick Habiyaremye, one of the local coaches, who serves as an assistant coach for the under 18 national team reiterated that the two-week training camp equipped them with essential fundamentals that are critical in their everyday work.

"We had experienced coaches from the US. They have been in this business of coaching children and developing the game of basketball at grass root level. We have been able to gain a lot of fundamentals and skills to nurture the young players,” he added.

In an interview, Jerred Cook, one of the instructors at the training clinic, who is also the Player Development Assistant Coach at Rico Hines and the current Head Coach at Westcliff University in the USA challenged the players and coaches not to to settle for less,

"It’s part of knowing your big picture, as far as understanding that every day we’re a source of daily deposits, put multiple days together, and that’s how you become better with consistency," he noted.

He added that they are going to make sure they send more content to the local coaches after the training camp in a bid to make sure they keep the momentum.

Need for more training

According to Habiyaremye, based on how the training has been beneficial to both coaches and players who participated in it, there should be some considerations to reach out to upcountry coaches too.

"We thank the Ministry of Sports and the basketball federation for this initiative. What we can ask is to have regular camps and not only in Kigali," he said.

Concerning holding the training often, Cook highlighted that there are possibilities that there will be more training in the future.

"I would tell all Rwandan youths that we’re just going to start. We want it to be a yearly event and it’s something we are looking forward to,” he noted.