Maine Red Claws Teach Windham Youth
Basketball Players
Youth Basketball
December 28,
2009
By Chris
Spaulding
Maine Red
Claws players Trey Gilder and Darnell Lazare
are surrounded with some of Windham's youth
basketball players at a clinic at Windham
High School on Monday December 28, 2009 Pat
Moody Photo.
Windham ME:
Members of the
Maine Red Claws came to the Windham High
School gym to put on a basketball clinic for
Windham's youth basketball players.
The clinic was
originally scheduled as part of the Hoops
for Hope Basketball Tournament organized by
Windham High School Boys Varsity Basketball
Coach Kevin Millington. The team sold a
package to Windham's youth basketball
players that included tickets to the high
school basketball tournament, a clinic with
the St Joes Basketball team, the clinic with
the Red Claws and a ticket to the January
29, 2010 Maine Red Claws game against the
Erie Bay Hawks.
The players
head out onto the court. Chris Spaulding
photo.
The Hoops for
Hope Tournament raises money for the Barbara
Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical
Center in Portland.
The Red Claws
were represented at the clinic by Dennis
Meehan, Assistant Coach Mike Procopio and
forwards Trey Gilder and Darnell Lazare.
According to
the Maine Red Claws website Procopio is
considered one of the top player development
coaches in the country and works with elite
NBA players Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Paul
Pierce (Celtics), Devin Harris (Nets) Mike
Finley (Spurs) and Dwayne Wade (Heat).
Darnell Lazare
played collegiate basketball for LSU and has
played professional basketball overseas.
Trey Gilder played college basketball for
Northwestern State-Louisiana and played in
the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier
this season.
Coach Procopio
started the clinic by sharing his
experiences working with Kobe Bryant this
summer. He explained Bryant's daily regiment
during the offseason and asked the young
players if someone at his elite level
trained that hard, how hard did they need to
work to become better basketball players.
Assistant
Coach Mike Procopio organizes the youth
basketball players for the drills he does
with the Maine Red Claws. Chris Spaulding
photo.
Procopio then
organized the players into groups according
to age, which appeared to range from first
grade through twelfth grade, including
members of all three high school boys
basketball teams. He put the players through
the same drills he does with the Red Claws.
Darnell
Lazare dunks the ball to the delight of the
young fans. Chris Spaulding photo.
After the
drills the young players gathered around for
a question and answer period with the Red
Claws. In anticipation of what was sure to
be the first question, Gilder and Lazare
each took a turn impressing the young crowd
by dunking the ball.
Maine Red
Claws Players Trey Gilder and Darnell Lazare
sign autographs. Pat Moody photo
The event
ended with Gilder and Lazare signing
autographs for the young fans.
Red Claws
representative Dennis Meehan said, "Community
involvement is very important to the team, and
we try to get the players out to as many events
as possible. Clinics are definitely among their
favorite types of events to do because it gives
them a chance to directly interact with the kids
and teach them something they are of course very
familiar with, basketball. This week players and
coaches are conducting clinics in Windham,
Brunswick, Portland and Augusta."
Meehan went on to
say, "We are having a Windham night on January
29, 2010 and are already expecting a large group
to attend. There has been tremendous interest
from the area, and we are hoping to get even
more Windham groups involved as well."
Tickets to the
game are available through Windham Youth
Basketball or Coach Millington at Windham
High School.
|
