Building Skills — and Future Champions? — on the Basketball Court

An interest in basketball has led dozens of girls to the gym at . They've been practicing for two hours each Sunday since the beginning of November with Lady Nicolet Basketball, a volunteer program run by Jim and Linda Bronson.

“They learn the basic skills you need to play basketball.” Linda said. “(How to) catch the ball, pass the ball, dribble the ball and defense. How you get in your stance for defense, you learn how to slide your feet across the floor, so you can move defensively to guard a player.”

The program is designed to train girls, who range from fourth to eighth grade, in the basics of the sport. That way, when they enter high school, they'll know the maneuvers preferred by Nicolet varsity coach Corey Wolf. More importantly, the program lays the groundwork for girls and their future with the sport. Jim said he enjoys helping them build a passion for a game he dearly loves.

Saying Jim is a part of a huge basketball family would be an understatement. Jim played basketball when he attended Nicolet High School in the 1960s. He has been with the Lady Nicolet Basketball program since his brother Walter — Corey Wolf's father — started it in 2002. Jim's own daughter, Gaby Bronson, played basketball on last year's varsity team that .

Teaching the basics

All of the coaches with the Lady Nicolet Basketball program are parent volunteers. Each year, at the beginning of the program, Coach Wolf works with the volunteers to show them what she would like the girls to learn. “(The volunteers) also have some of their own ideas they incorporate into the program as well,” Linda said.

“We deal with the basics, that's how you start at the lower levels. Then as they acquire those talents, by the time they get to eighth grade Jim tries to bring in a little bit more ... they run a play for the offense, or they teach layups.” Linda said.

The number of girls changes each year. This year there are about 10 kids from the fourth grade in the program. Last year was the first year fourth graders showed interest in the program. The fifth grade class is the largest with 20 students. Just one sixth grader works with Jim one-on-one each week. One seventh grader trains with the eighth graders, so there's a total of 10 girls in that group.

“I thought it was awesome,” said Cassie Wright, mother of fourth-grade player Hailey, when she first learned of the program.

Wright said her family has only lived in the area for one year, so she was delighted to get her daughter engaged in some community programs.

“The children get the external growth with other schools, not just the girls they are with daily, but they're mixed in with others. So you can see the diversity around the community. The energy around it is awesome,” Wright said.

Hailey said she is learning lots of things in the Lady Nicolet Basketball program including, “...passing and dribbling, where you should dribble the ball and who you should pass it to.”

Practices and tournaments

Hailey, who enjoys being around her fellow classmates, said she's looking forward to playing in the tournaments and picking up even more skills. Starting in January, practices will move to Monday and Wednesdays, plus the girls will participate in several area tournaments. The tournaments are against other area club programs from Homestead, Whitefish Bay, Franklin, Kiel and Cudahy.

A lot of times, the tournaments they enter are fundraising events for area high school basketball teams. For example, the Nicolet varsity basketball team hosts a tournament for the area clubs and the money paid by the teams to enter the tournament goes to the varsity team.

All of the girls in the Lady Nicolet Basketball program have the opportunity to see the Nicolet team in action. The kids are given a pass that allows them to get into every JV and varsity home game for free.  “We like the parents to watch the varsity team play and see what's next for their kids.” Linda said. “Plus, then the girls really see how a game is supposed to look.”

Linda, who is in charge of the program's accounting, said they work hard to keep costs down for students. New kids get charged $185, while returning children who already have uniforms pay $150. This year, the eighth graders are paying $200 because they are playing an increased number of tournaments. The money goes toward paying for the gym space, uniforms and tournaments.

For Jim, there are just a few challenges this year. “I think the most challenging thing is getting the younger kids to participate and then try to develop them on the way up," he said. "For me, I'm working with eighth graders and some of my eighth graders are just starting off for the first time. So we're a little bit behind the eight ball, compared to other club programs.”

Jim's inspiration to continue with the group is his daughter Gaby, who now plays basketball at UW-Parkside. He measures success not by wins on the court, but by how much of a long-term impact the program makes on the kids. “For me, as long as we keep the girls engaged, and they don't quit, and hopefully they have a good time ... and at least try it at the high school level, I think that for me, is pretty successful.”