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Basketball Coaches Corner

A Personal Note. 

A couple of summers ago I coached in the travel league. I had been recruited for a while and finally decided to accept, mostly because my son wanted to play at a higher level. Ok, I admit it, I wanted him to play at a higher level.

Like my prior time spent in SYC I made the mistake of thinking that this was all about the basketball. It wasn't and I learned that through a powerful moment that came during an evening practice. 

As I began practice a gentleman unfamiliar to me walked through the door. He gave me pause because the look on his face suggested some urgency. After exchanging hellos he quietly said he was in search of the location of an SYC basketball practice and coach that I wasn't familiar with. I turned to my assistant coach Alex Asmar to ask for his help and resumed practice. 

A short time later Alex returns looking almost tearful and says, "Do you know what's going on here?  He's frantically looking for the practice site for his nephew, who is outside in the car. He says his nephew's father didn't show up to take him to practice because he had died earlier in the day while on a business trip, but no one knew the details of his son's team."

It was to be his first practice and the family had decided that, no matter what, they wanted to make sure (his) son made it to practice. They didn't want the son to know of his dad's passing (yet).

"Well," Alex said, "We have to help this guy!"  After a few after hours calls to SYC folks like David Kelly and others, Alex was able to find the coach, the team, and the site of the practice. Afterwards we were both emotionally spent and hugged our sons. We realized that what we were doing, volunteering to coach, had very little to do with basketball. 

As competitive as I am I was knocked back a peg by this situation. And almost immediately I experienced many more kids, regardless of talent, that required my presence as "coach" and friend. It really does make a difference in the lives of many kids and many more we haven't even met yet. 

Interested? Contact basketball@sycva.com for more information.

Courage! 
Reggie Sanders
SYC Basketball Coach (6-Years)

Volunteers

SYC Basketball is always seeking dedicated volunteers for recreational basketball. Be part of one of the largest and best youth recreational basketball programs in Northern Virginia!

All teams must have a minimum of one adult coach (18 or older) in addition to any assistant coaches under the age of 18.

It is mandatory for all volunteers to register with SYC as a volunteer. All registered volunteers will be submitted for background/kidsafe check. Please click the "Register Here" button to register.

Volunteer Building Exam is also required to be taken by all coaches. The volunteer building director program helps to keep the cost of providing recreational basketball affordable to SYC families. Your volunteer building director certificate is valid for 2 years.

Lastly, please be sure to complete the concussion awareness training. Your completed training is valid for 1 year.

Concussion Awareness Training

When you register as a volunteer with SYC, you will be required to complete the Concussion Education Training (CET) in order to maintain compliance with Virginia State Law. 

More information about CET.

Questions? Contact concussion@sycva.com.

Fundamental Basketball Drills

PLEASE READ BEFORE REVIEWING

Beginner to Advanced Baller - DRILLS VIDEOS

At SYC Basketball, we are fortunate to have many willing volunteers, but a significant number of those volunteers have repeatedly expressed that they feel as if they lack sufficient basketball knowledge to properly coach our children. Over the years, we have tried to come up with an effective, convenient and cost effective way to provide assistance with basketball instruction to our volunteer coaches. We have at various times considered and implemented coaching clinics, sessions with outside instructors, purchasing instructional materials and other methods to provide support for our volunteer coaches. However, after trying all of those methods, it is our hope that this series of videos will best serve the needs of our coaches, now and going forward.

The DRILLS VIDEOS are designed to assist SYC coaches in basic basketball fundamentals by showing core components of specific skills, as well as drills and suggestions for a variety of skill levels and ages.