Junior Girls basketball camp attracts 34 participants

Participants in the 2-week Jr. Girls basketball camp with Regina Robles, bottom left at the end of the camp

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

Through her friends, Shamika Rogers heard about a two week basketball camp for junior girls to be held over the Easter break and thought it would be fun to join. She ended up being the most improved player. The camp conducted by Regina Robles at the Multipurpose Sports Complex, attracted 34 girls between 7 and 17 years, and ended with an awards ceremony on Friday afternoon.

“I was kind of surprised,” Rogers said after receiving the award. “To me, I started off good. I didn’t think I was bad in that way. I thought I was good, but, I love basketball”

Robles played collegiate basketball at West Georgia University and represented the U.S. Virgin Islands at last year’s Tournament of the Americas in Cuba, where injuries cut short her chance to play with the WNBA Sacramento Monarchs. Because the BVI Basketball Federation is the only team sport in the territory that doesn’t have a woman’s program, Robles said she saw the need for such a camp where the fundamentals could be taught to young players.

“Someone was always there for me as far as teaching me the fundamentals, skills and techniques of basketball, so I decided I wanted to do it for the girls here as well,” Robles explained, noting there were 27 girls between 13-19 and seven under 13 participants. “I was trying to get across the rules and basic fundamentals of the game as far as dribbling, defense, rebounding, lay-ups and free throws.”

The biggest challenge for the young charges, Robles said, was the lack of knowledge of the game. No one she noted has ever sat them down and taught them the game. “They might have watched it on television or seen men play in the gym, but they have never sat down one on one with some body who has the patience to guide them and teach them that way,” she explained.

Ashkisha Maduro’s friend Naresha Martin told her she should be a part of the camp. “It was fun,” she said. “I finally learn to play ball,” the 15-year old said. “I wanted to do that for a long time.”

One thing Martin will remember from the camp is learning how to take a charge. “That was the hardest part, falling down is not easy,” she noted. Martin said the conditioning was also challenging. “If you came late, you had to run 10, 12-laps and that was hard. At first she told us to run for five minute and we didn’t know that her five minutes was 12 laps and not two and you can’t jog or else you have to start over,” Martin explained. “It was a lot of team work and we learnt how to work together and it was fun. A lot of discipline too—she wasn’t playing—she was very, very serious with us but in the end, it was fun.”

Robles said 12 players have been selected for afternoon practices on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in order to improve their skills. She said plans are being put in place for future competitions. “They will practice and improve their skills so that when we go to St. Thomas or have a junior national team, we can actually be there competing and not just being a spectator,” Robles said.

Robles who has been exposed to a variety of sports at an early age, is disappointed that there are not more options for young girls in the BVI and noted they are not encouraged from an early age at school either. She said if they don’t run track or play softball, their only avenue out is volleyball.

“Some girls don’t want to do that,” she pointed out. “They want to play basketball and do other things besides going out in the hot sun and running track. They want to things that show their athleticism and I think they should have that avenue to do it. The extra curricular activities here for women are so less its ridiculous,” she pointed out. “I wanted to start this off, even if it’s just a grassroots roots program, to start it off and get it there. This will be the cornerstone for something later on.”