Volunteers help youths sharpen basketball skills

By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer

JERRY WOLKOWITZ Gabby Fortune of Long Branch instructs participants on the finer points of basketball during a YMCA of Western Monmouth County clinic at Freehold Borough High School.

FREEHOLD — Some kids were home watching television or playing video games while schools were closed Nov. 7-8. At the same time, other youngsters were learning to play basketball at a clinic presented by the YMCA of Western Monmouth County.

Under the guidance of the YMCA Community Center’s Outreach Director Mel O’Neal and a host of volunteer adult coaches, high school coaches and other volunteers, 100 children in grades two through eight were treated to exercise and camaraderie. Pizza, T-shirts and give- aways added to the fun.

Freehold Borough High School was the site of the sixth annual basketball clinic. The gym and several other rooms were used to set up 12 basketball clinic stations where 15 high school and five adult basketball coaches taught youngsters in 18-minute segments how to play the game. Time was spent teaching defensive and offensive skills. Instructional videos supplemented the lessons.

O’Neal introduced himself to the children and fostered a dialogue with each child, asking them questions about their favorite teams and whether they had ever played basketball.

Some children were shy to speak, others were natural when given the opportunity to shine. Regardless of their personalities, their enthusiasm was unmistakable. They were out of school, they were "hanging out" with new friends and they were playing basketball.

"Learn while you are here and then take it home with you," O’Neal told the group. "Playing ball is like any other skill, you need to practice it."

One person involved as a coach was Kelvin Lewis, of the borough, who has been volunteering his time to the clinic for six years. His goal is to have participants come back to the clinic in later life.

"When they go to college, if they play basketball, if they make it to the NBA, we want them to come back here to where it all began. After all, Michael Jordan goes home right?" Lewis asked with a touch of humor.

Lewis spends part of his work day instructing and training young players at Play Ball, a gym in Marlboro.

"It’s not about how good or how talented you are. It’s about raising self-confidence and understanding the game. It’s about being part of a team," he explained. "You don’t have to be great. It’s about sportsmanship and leadership and loving the game enough to stay in it."

Lewis added that the concept of "kids helping kids" is an idea he really likes.

Proposed by O’Neal, this is the second year high school students served as coaches at the clinic. Students from Freehold Borough High School, Marlboro High School, Long Branch High School and Neptune High School participated.

Tyrell Budd, 15, of Freehold Borough High School, loves to play basketball. He plays for the school and for an AAU travel team. He spent some of his time off from school coaching at the clinic. Tyrell said he plans to play in the NBA someday.

Jennifer Johnson, 15, who also plays at Freehold Borough, donated her time to coach for the second year in a row.

Noelle Linzmayer, 17, a student at Long Branch High School, said she loved coaching the children and thought it was a great experience for them.

The basketball clinic is about family, too. Nadina Bohn, 15, plays for Freehold Borough and for an AAU team. This was her second year with the YMCA clinic. Her dad, Frank, coaches at the clinic and her mom, Brenda, who spends her 9 to 5’s working as an administrative assistant for the YMCA community center, spent the two days serving up pizza and snacks in between other essential duties. Meanwhile, Nadina’s brother Frankie was one of the young participants.

Jim Dunella coached, while his wife, Liz, helped with the food concessions and their daughter, Christina, and son, Jim, participated in the clinic.

O’Neal said it’s important to find out what interests children.

"It’s critical to stimulate kids and find out what their interests are. Their interest in basketball can inspire them in many other areas," he said.

He emphasized that the basketball clinic would never have become a reality without the help of his volunteer staff.

"I need to acknowledge the sincerity and contribution of each volunteer. They recognize the basic four premises that the YMCA is founded on — respect, responsibility, caring and honesty," O’Neal said.

He said he hoped the players who participated will practice their new skills and continue to be involved in the clinics in the future.

In the end, however, it’s about more than just basketball.

"Kids must channel everything they have, everything they like and that interests them, into positive energy," O’Neal said, "because there are plenty of negative elements out there that can’t wait to get a hold of them.

"It would be great if they learned something about basketball, but it’s really more important that they felt welcomed and that they were able to meet new folks, make new friends and have a good time. These kids need to be acknowledged, for what they did with their time is significant. They could have been home sleeping," he said. "Catch people doing something right and they want to continue to be caught doing something right."