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FIREBALLOctober 2011 www.firebasketball.ca Official Newsletter of:

MORE THAN A GAME

words: Paul S. Hendren

“At Fire Basketball our focus is not only in the development of complete players, but teaching life skills through sport.” FBA Head Coach Darnell Charlemagne

Shortly after resigning his post as Canadian National

Team Basketball Coach Leo Rautins engaged in dialogue

with sports radio host Bob McCowan. Rautins was not

bitter nor was he vindictive after the Olympic qualifying

tournament went painfully sour for the Canucks. During

the radio interview Rautins made a bold assessment about

the basketball culture in Canada. He proclaimed that one

of Canadian basketball’s pitfalls is that it is infiltrated by

”misplaced values”. He spoke of how player development

at times takes a back seat to player exposure.

While Rautins dissected a system in need of a tune up

the folks at Fire Basketball continue to operationalize their

mission statement that has been their calling card since

the first day they opened a bag of Spaldings. “Respect,

teamwork and attitude” is the common song among the

Fire coaching ranks. To understand the collective soul of

Fire’s army of dedicated volunteers is to comprehend that

basketball is ‘more than a game’. Misplaced values

certainly doesn’t govern the Fire faithful.

For Darnell Charlemagne, one of Fire Basketball’s

founding members, the club has a far bigger reach than

five on five action.

“At Fire Basketball our focus is not only in the

development of complete players, but teaching life skills

through sport,” he explained.

Deryck Dyal, one of FBA’s senior spokesmen, is a firm

believer that the club has dedicated coaches that go

beyond coaching.

“I have always told players , I don’t teach basketball, I

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teach life,” he explained of a personal philosophy that fits nicely with the club’s motto. “When teaching players, we start with fundamentals the same way everyone learns to crawl first, then walk, then run,” he said. Dyal advised that FBA emphasizes having the right attitude and working hard as both will take you a long way in life. “Lastly, we believe in keeping it simple as you have more fun when things are simple and easy,” he added.

In Southern Ontario the reality of the basketball culture is the fluidity of player movement. Players change clubs sometimes as often as they change shoes. It is that type of thinking that puzzles Fire Head Coach Dwayne Lubin.

"Our entire coaching staff at FIRE Basketball puts great pride and effort into developing the players that join our program; we spend countless hours on the floor teaching and mentoring kids, in addition to many-a-nights off the floor in committee meetings working towards providing kids in our club with quality programs,” explained Lubin of the

passion within Fire Basketball’s coaching ranks . “While we are experiencing an overall increase in the number of kids joining our programs, year-in-and-year-out we still witness players leaving for what they deem to be greener pastures,” he said. “But as the old saying goes: the grass isn't always greener on the other side."

ROAD WORK (by Chedwick Crieghtney, FBA Chairman)

This past summer when on the way to Pittsburgh I was incaged in an eight seat van driving seven plus hours to one of our many tournaments. The players were

all 18 and 19 years old, filled with excitement and busting with testosterone. I am

blessed that each of these boys and their parents have come to trust me enough

to embark on these trips across the border without any parental supervision For seven long hours I endured the agony of the youth gangsta rap without complaint, but when faced with the same torture on the return trip I finally

objected and asked that they change the music to something more to my liking.

That's when the teaching moment began....I was duly reprimanded for my

objection and referred to as "OldSKOOL" in a light hearted slight. I was then

educated on music and then enlightened on the meaning behind each piece of verbiage. These boys went on to tell me about their parents and teachers and

some of the things impacting their lives. They told me of their fears and so may

thing that they say that they never have and never will dicuss with their parents. I was able to share my views

on drugs, spirituality, music (from their parents POV), the ILUMINATI, race, and many other topics. The

questions were many but it made the seven hours seem like a ride to the corner store.

The players said they learned a lot and I learned more than I would ever imagine. This became the theme

for out many hours on the road over the summer as they players shared their thoughts and I was able to help

guide them a little bit. This is what Fire Basketball is to me.

Coach Deryck: Old school values and life lessons through basketball

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NUMBERS GAMEwords from our Coaches

By: Dayne Benjamim FBA Head Coach

Tim Duncan, a multiple NBA all-

star and ‘shoe in’ for the Hall of Fame,

is a high percentage shooter. The San

Antonio Spurs big man is a gym rat

who prefers to shoot bank shot after

bank shot from just outside the paint.

He is one of the NBA’s most prolific

scorers.

Do the math...

Duncan is not interested in

attaching himself to the highlight reel

with shots beyond the arc. He just

delivers bank shot after bank shot

perfected during his endless hours of

gym time. Duncan is a NBA champion

- multiple times over.

Do the math...

As a coach there is nothing more

frustrating than seeing young players

enter a gym and immediately start

tossing threes in the direction of a

backboard. Some find the target yet

most miss badly.

Do the math...

When players gravitate towards

shooting threes they are practicing the

lowest percentage shot in basketball

(next to the half court heave). The

closer in , the higher the percentage

shot and better chance for rebounds

by your teammates.

Do the math...

We repeatedly tell our players that

an excellent three point shooting

percentage is in the 30% range verses

60% in the paint.

End of equation!

Our Fire players are now firmly

entrenched in their respective

schools ,ready to do battle in the

upcoming months of scholastic

mayhem. The reality of being a

basketball parent is that it is

somtimes easier to convince our

children to pick up a ball rather

than open a book.

There are a series of

fascinating basketball stories that

may just be the tonic to encourage

our talented young ballers to also

become stronger readers.

Mike Lupica , a veteran sports

reporter with the New York Daily

News , has also written an

engaging set of sports books for

young minds, including several that

cover the trials and tribulations of

young basketball players searching

for glory. Lupica’s intimate

knowledge of basketball is

legitimate. His years as a beat

reporter covering the NBA makes

his stories believable and his words

digestible for younger readers.

Many of his books can be

purchased online through Chapters

or Amazon. Visit

www.mikelupicabooks.com for

details.

READING IS A BALL

Coach Dayne (middle), Coach Conrad and their lads of Fire. Hopefully they know their math.

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Shooting With

Purpose

words from our Coaches

By: Darnell CharlemagneFBA Head Coach

Does practice really make perfect? When it comes to the art of shooting, is going to the gym to put up 500 shots without a plan the road to a consistent jumper? I would argue that perfect practice makes perfect and the importance of knowing what you want to accomplish before you enter the gym will help you practice more efficiently as well as reinforce good habits.

While often overlooked by players during a shooting workout; five minutes of form shooting as a warm up works to help players reinforce the fundamentals of shooting. Form shooting helps players understand what a good shot feels like and gives them the opportunity to replicate it consistently. It helps to promote good balance, develop consistency in lifting the ball smoothly up the players shot line, the release of the ball at the top of the players shot which in turn helps develop a consistent release point and follow through.

Footwork is also an important aspect of shooting the basketball consistently and on balance. Being able to receive a pass while being shot ready has a lot to do with a players’ ability to set up quickly and before the ball arrives in their hands; be quick but not in a hurry. Practicing game shots at game speed is also important to developing consistency in a players shot. It is not good enough to shoot casually in a gym once your warm up is over; the game is played at a much quicker pace and players should try to replicate that pace a best as they can. Take shots you will take in a game, understand the offense you play in and where those shots will come from and practice them.

Have a plan, know what you want to work on before you get to the gym and track your progress.

Young trialists ready for the rebound during Fire Basketball’s Major Bantam / Bantam tryouts at Pine Ridge in Pickering. Young athletes from U10 to U17 converged in Pickering and Toronto for a chance to catch on with Fire Basketball Association.

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The trials of BASKETBALL

Blood, sweat and tears was the name of the game

throughout September. While the Oshawa Power of the

fledgling National Basketball League of Canada hosted a

splendid showcase for pro prospects at Durham College the

same strategies were being applied several kilometers down Highway 401. Two high school gyms were bee hives of

activities for Fire Basketball’s aspiring Rep players as station

work and drills were replicated by much younger players.

The similarities between pro club and the grassroots were

uncanny. It was just a testament that ballers never die- they

just move on to new trials in their basketball lives.

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Donna Brown and Des Johnson take no prisoners. In April the dynamic duo were cheering their respective sons on to gold medal glory at the provincials. Several months have elapsed since the Fire Atom Boys brought back bragging rights from Niagara but our dynamic duo refuse to sit back and have the club rest on its laurels. Be it a 50/50 draw , raffle tickets or even a well stocked canteen during Fire Basketball events our two fundraising gurus are busy developing bold new initiatives to help the club move forward. Embrace the vision, drop by to share a few words with Donna and Des while donating some loose change for a basketball club on a mission. Volunteers and sponsors are always welcome.

FIRE BASKETBALL is a non profit organization located throughout Toronto and Durham Regions. The Fire team, a qualified and dedicated group of coaches and administrators, strive to provide a safe, fun and competitive place to play as well as learn the game of basketball.

The Fire Basketball motto of “Attitude, Respect and Teamwork” signifies the expectations of

responsibilities placed upon all members, players, parents, volunteers and coaches.

Fire Basketball provides programs throughout the year that will develop basketball skills, leadership skills, teamwork skills and other essential life skills. The club is committed and dedicated to teaching these fundamentals through hard work , discipline and teamwork.

FIREBALLThe Official Newsletter of

Fire Basketball Association

www.firebasketball.ca

enquiries:

paulh@firebasketball.ca

FIRE PROMOTIONS

Hot Lids

New Era take notice! Fire Basketball is on the map with

some bold new head gear. Dreden Brown, Fire Basketball

player by day and designer by night, has unveiled a new

Fire Basketball lid that will make any baller look fresh.

Anyone interested in the hat

should contact

donna.brown@rogers.com .

Proceeds from the sale of the hats

will be funneled back into the club.

.