20 years of building fundamentals

Times Reporter   

 

This is Coach Pat Fule’s 20th year of running the JETS basketball program—a week-long camp of 15 hours dedicated to learning the basic skills of the sport. 

“We really want them to be strong in their fundamentals, so we really work hard at teaching the proper way to dribble a basketball, the different types of dribbles, jump stops, pivoting,” Fule said. “We really focus on the proper way to shoot a basketball, because there’s definite right ways and wrong ways to shoot. Then we try to teach them man to man defense so when they get in the game, they can feel confident playing against someone.”

The two age groups (Grades 1 to 4, and 5 to 9) are full this season with 24 and 28 members respectively. The younger group plays from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon, and the older kids follow in the afternoon from 1p.m. to 4p.m. 

“We have three hours, and we spend two or so working on drills, skills, and fundamentals,” Fule said. The key to players’ success, he says, is playing 3 on 3 for the last hour each day.

“We feel if you play 3 on 3, the players touch the ball more. You can be in a game of 5 on 5 and play for a few minutes, and never even get the ball, so that doesn’t help you progress as a player,” he said. “Whereas when you play 3 on 3, you’re going to touch the ball more, and the more touches you get, we hope and feel and think that they’ll improve that much faster.”

Making the kids feel like they’re part of a closer-knit team is integral to building their confidence as well. Fule says that he sees definite improvement in the players’ games from Monday to Friday. It’s purely recreational, and though JETS used to record statistics, they’d much rather provide a fun environment for the athletes. 

Most of the kids stay within the program for four to six years, and once they get to junior high, if they’ve shown a lot of promise and skill, they can try out for school teams or for the Wheatland Wildfire (run by Kyle Larson, vice principal of Strathmore High, where the camp takes place). Some even come back to coach with Fule.

“A lot of the kids have gone on to play club basketball,” he said. “Some have gone on to college basketball, or even university basketball.”