02-12-11
Invite to the Palace
The Luol Deng Foundation hosted a ‘Gamenight’ event at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and invited a team of Under 10 players from the School of Hoops to attend. The Luol Deng Foundation host weekly basketball sessions at the Palace and begun the Gamenight initiative to give players an opportunity to compete in a safe environment.
Coached by Christian Lacsina and Director Tony Brown, the team got a chance to put into practice the fundamentals they’ve been learning in front of a passionate crowd of parents. They performed remarkably well, working as a team to win all of their games.
“I think we enjoyed this as much as the players and the parents [Laughs]. Great evening of basketball and we’re looking forward to doing it again soon. It’s good for the players to see how working together; sharing the ball and moving to create opportunities, can help you to both enjoy and win games. Very proud of their performance and the attitude they showed.”
To find out more about the work of the Luol Deng Foundation, visit www.luoldeng.org.uk
02-12-11
CIA undergo rebrand
Just two months in and 2011 has brought a wealth of change our way. In January we announced a new umbrella charity – Family Resource Centre UK – and now, in the next step of that transition, we unveil two new brands; Fourth Fundamental and School of Hoops.
‘CIA Basketball’ is replaced by ‘Fourth Fundamental’. Brand Manager Luke Bowler says the name makes a subtle nod to their basketball roots but stands for something bigger.
“Traditionally there has always been three fundamentals taught in the coaching of basketball; passing, shooting and dribbling. As we’ve found, throughout our 16 year history, the off court development of our players is just as important as their on court development.”
“When I joined the basketball club back in 2003, at the age of 17, it was clear that this was much more than a basketball club. I’ve matured both on and off the court, encouraged to strive as much for success in my education and employment as in basketball. Our fundamental teachings go beyond basketball.”
School of Hoops is a global grassroots coaching and mentoring program based around a unique system of coaching in grids. The HOOPS program enables coaches of any level to break down complex skills into manageable layers, taking individuals that have never played before and filtering them towards team play in performance basketball.
“We have found that by instilling a focus from an early age, ensuring players enjoy their first experience in a safe environment that is structured and with appropriate boundaries, we are able to curb many of the issues relating to young people today. The School of Hoops program focuses on team play and aims to create a track from absolute beginner to elite team player.”
“We are also excited to be working outside of the UK for the first time in our 16 year history. We are exploring a partnership with a worldwide charity to use the grid system of coaching, combined with a unique emphasis on mentoring, to affect communities around the globe.”
The School of Hoops site will be launching in the coming months with online training videos, ambassador articles and more. Stay tuned for more information.
- Remember Otty, our halftime show act? How could you forget? Here he is again recording live for TapeDeck... http://t.co/qeBP8wOK
