On Saturdays in January and February from 9-10 AM, some of Waynesburg Central’s top high school basketball players take the court. You won’t find this game on the schedule and the home court will be dark, but fans will be packing into Waynesburg Central Elementary School.
These athletes are participating in the Little Dribblers program, aimed at teaching basketball to kids. For eight weeks, the kids will be taught the fundamental skills of the game with the help of Mike Juliano, coaches, and Raiders’ players.
“It is a very relaxed and laid-back atmosphere,” said Natalie Blair, Waynesburg Central’s assistant varsity women’s basketball coach. “We coordinate every year for eight weeks and invite kindergarten and first graders to participate in the program. We just want to introduce the kids to what the game of basketball is while they have a good time.”
A registration form is sent home from school in November through the Central Greene School District. Then, they hold a registration sign-up at the school, and it is also posted on the 123 Good News site a month before the camp is scheduled to begin. The cost to register is $40 per student and it gives them all eight weeks of the camp working with players and coaches plus a t-shirt.
Blair praised the parents for their commitment to bringing their kids to the program, and the school district for allowing them to hold the event. “I really appreciate the parents that take the time to get their kids to Little Dribblers, and value starting them at a young age,” said Blair. “We also would like to thank the school district for allowing us to hold these programs. They have been very supportive of our efforts.”
Aside from learning the fundamentals of the game, one of the most important aspects of Little Dribblers is the relationship developed between the participants and the high school players. Many of the players on Waynesburg Central’s boys and girls basketball teams have also gone through the Little Dribblers program as kids, and now they are able to give back to a program that has given them so much.
“I honestly think that (Little Dribblers) builds a relationship between the high school students and participants,” said Blair. “But the relationship goes both ways. I think it is important for the high school students to see that you have all these kids looking up to you. It reminds them to make sure that they are doing what they need to do both on and off the court to be good role models for the future generations.”
One of the graduates of the Little Dribblers program is Waynesburg Central girls basketball senior shooting guard Nina Sarra. Sarra participated in the program back in 2010 and is now one of the Raiders’ top three-point shooters. “When we went there, we just went through some basic fundamental drills and played a lot of fun games and that always made me want to go back,” said Sarra. “I still really enjoy going there on Saturdays, and it’s fun to see them develop every week. They start out with just basic skills and to see them grow is amazing.”
Boys basketball center Jacob Mason was not a graduate of the program but loves the chance to work with the young kids. He has always loved the game of basketball and is excited that the younger generation is just as excited as he was.
“It’s nice seeing how many kids already love the game of basketball and it’s a good feeling to help them learn the fundamental skills,” said Mason. “It means a lot to me and it’s great working with them and then seeing them at out home games through out the year.”
If you have any questions about the Little Dribblers program, feel free to email Natalie Blair (natalieblair@cgsd.org) or boys basketball coach Steve McIntire (steven.mcintire@cgsd.org).
