Little Swishers Summer Basketball

SOUTHBURY’S YOUNGEST PLAYERS SCORE BIG IN LITTLE SWISHERS BASKETBALL

Registration in Progress for Summer Session of New Co-ed Program, Designed to Teach Grade School Kids How to Have Fun Learning Basketball Fundamentals

SOUTHBURY, Conn. – July  10, 2012 –The Southbury Basketball Booster Club announces the launch of its second meeting of “Little Swishers,” a clinic which introduces basketball fundamentals to Southbury’s younger citizens and aims to foster a lifelong passion for the sport through mastering the skills, rules and sportsmanship needed to produce well-rounded winners.

Little Swishers 2012 Summer Clinic is for children entering grades one through four and takes place on the outdoor courts at Pomperaug Elementary School from Monday, July 30th through Thursday, August 2nd. For third and fourth graders, the session runs from 4:00-5:30 p.m., for first and second graders, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. The $75 per child fee includes a free t-shirt.  Families should register in person at the Town of Southbury Parks & Recreation office by the July 20th deadline.  

The first Little Swishers clinic earlier this year was a resounding success, with 80 first and second graders fully engaged in the six week program, according to co-chairs Jay Harper and Heidi Namin. Harper gave credit to Southbury’s volunteers: “We are fortunate to have community-minded parents and high school players with basketball experience who gave us their time and coaching talents,” he commented.

Among the 26 Little Swishers volunteers is Southbury parent Robert Kasmire, a former, 1000-point player of the year and former high school and AAU coach in New York, whose team of 15-year-olds won the Northeast championship and famously included Elton Brand who went on to play for Duke University and then for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Kasmire sees the involvement of high school players as one of the strengths of Little Swishers. “They set the example for the young kids to look up to,” he noted.

Two such role models are recent Pomperaug High School graduates Steve Consiglio and Jess Miller. This fall, Consiglio will pitch baseball for Wheaton College and Miller will play soccer at Springfield College. “It was fun getting to know the kids and giving to the community,” they agreed.

Roz Ross of Southbury, whose first grader, Rebecca, played in Little Swishers, said basketball is the first sport that her daughter wants to stick with. “She was excited to come to the clinic every week,” said Ross.

“The coaches were very patient and the clinic is well organized,” Ross also noted.

The clinic follows a systematic routine of stretching, skill demonstrations, practice drills, and scrimmage play. Tiffany Foster of Southbury, whose children, Cole and Taylor, participated in Little Swishers, appreciated the extensive hands-on approach.

“We think Little Swishers is by far the best youth program in town,” observed Foster.  

The Southbury Basketball Booster Club, a citizen subcommittee of the Southbury Department of Parks and Recreation established in 1998, relies on the dedication of more than 100 volunteers from the Southbury community to organize, manage and coach 50 recreational basketball teams which serve more than 600 town youths each year.