Kids of all ages will have the opportunity to hit the court this fall outside of their school’s basketball program.
Westshore Basketball, run by co-directors Brad Lidstone and Curt Spaven, offers programming for kids of all experience levels and has just finished its fifth season in operation. But the directors have no intention of slowing down and are hoping to get even more kids involved in a sport they are both passionate about.
“We’ve been a really great grassroots program for the last five years, but in the last two or three years our high level programs have really excelled,” Lidstone said. “[But] we never want to turn away kids, regardless of their experience.”
Last season the night league featured 16 teams for boys and girls at the U11, U13, and U15 levels. “That was at least 116 kids,” noted Lidstone.
Teams are created based on demand but there are still player assessments to help create competitive teams and fun environments for all players.
Throughout the season there are also opportunities for players to try out for elite level teams to compete at a higher level of competition.
“If someone wants to play, we’ll find room for them to play at the level they want to play,” Spaven added.
There are also two divisions for younger players between the ages of four to seven and six to eight to learn the “fun-damentals” of the game according to Spaven. This program, called Westshore Rain, was created with a similar model to a Timbits soccer program, where kids can have fun while learning key skills, he explained.
Lidstone, added the organization also offers winter, spring and summer break camps for all ages.
“There’s a total of nearly 400 kids that have registered across all programs,” Spaven noted, adding a number of those players are also registered in multiple programs and camps last season.
This season, registration for all of the Westshore Basketball programs starts Aug. 15, with practices starting in September and games in early October.
“We’re fortunate we have access to the facilities we have out here,” Lidstone noted, adding those are some of the best high school courts in the province. “We just try to fill them up as much as we can.”
It’s something, he noted, the players are really taking pride in.
To register or to learn more about Westshore Basketball go to westshorebasketball.com.