Sports
Summer Basketball League is Under Way at Banning Community Center
Boys and girls welcome. Five-week league costs $10, which includes a t-shirt and free reign of the basketball court at the Banning Community Center, 789 North San Gorgonio Ave, across the street from Nicolette Middle School football field.
Not everyone rooted against the Big 3 – Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh of the NBA’s Miami Heat.
New Banning resident Daeshaunn Dupree rooted for the Heat, especially Wade, this past season.
“I was rooting for the Heat, period!” said Dupree, who just relocated to Banning from Colton. “They didn’t do it all this year. But they will get it next year.”
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Dupree, 15, and his younger brothers, Cory, 10, and Darcy, 11, were among nearly two dozen Banning youth to show up Tuesday during the first hour of walk-in registration for the 2011 Banning Summer Youth Basketball League.
The league, now in its 20th year, offers summer basketball to local youth in the fifth through 12 grades. Registration will remain open and the league welcomes all youth to take part.
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The 5-week league costs $10, which includes a t-shirt and free reign of the basketball court at the Banning Community Center, 789 North San Gorgonio Ave, across the street from Nicolette Middle School football field.
The basketball league will meet from 1 p.m. to 4 pm. on Tuesday and Thursday.
There is a lot to take advantage of, says league coordinator Stan Smith.
“The younger kids get to compete with the older kids, they get to learn a little more of the fundamentals and learn new skills,” Smith said. “It’s a chance to socialize. It’s an opportunity to play with older kids, which is always important.”
Smith, also the long time boys’ basketball coach at Banning High, says the younger players will often share the court with older ones.
“I think the older kids have their own thing but they do work pretty well with the young ones,” Smith said. “They don’t hog the ball and everyone gets to play a lot of basketball.”
Smith said he hopes to reach into the 60’s in terms of league participants. That makes for a good day of basketball and in the long run it’s good for basketball at the junior high and high schools.
“If we can get to that number, it’s going to be good for the kids,” Smith said. “And that means it will be a good feeder system for the junior and high school teams.”
As for Dupree, he showed up sporting Dwayne Wade attire – workout bottoms embroidered with Wade’s name.
“I still can’t believe they lost to the Mavs,” Dupree said.
