The future of basketball in Oxford looks pretty bright thanks to a clinic program started by Shawn Regan.
‘It was a little bigger than I thought it would be,? said Regan, who teaches physical education at Daniel Axford and Clear Lake elementaries
A total of 38 second-grade boys and 28 girls from Daniel Axford participated in the fall and winter basketball clinics Regan established during the current school year.
‘I was very happy with the turnout,? he said.
The clinics met for about an hour after-school once a week for five consecutive weeks at DA.
Regan taught them dribbling, passing, shooting and how to play defense along with fun games that help hone skills such as PIG and Lightning.
He created the clinic because a lot of kids don’t have the opportunity to participate in outside programs due to transportation issues or both parents working.
The clinics enabled the kids to socialize, built up their ‘interest and desire? to play basketball and taught them how to work together as a team, according to Regan.
‘They seem to really enjoy it,? he said. ‘Some of the girls had never played before in their lives. They jumped right in, enjoyed it, had fun with it and learned something.?
It also gave the kids an outlet for all that restless energy that gets pent up during the school day, especially during the late fall and winter when they don’t play outside much.
‘It keeps the kids active and gives them a healthy way to be involved,? he said.
Regan was pleased to see his clinic served as a feeder program for the basketball program for second and third-graders run by the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Dept.
He indicated that 30 of his 38 boys joined the parks program, which takes place at Oxford Middle School.
Regan plans to continue the program and possibly expand it to Clear Lake Elementary or wherever else ends up teaching in the district.