YOUNG basketball players in CostaRica can experience one of the bestmoments of their lives when they rumbleand hobnob with U.S. National BasketballAssociation (NBA) players and coachesnext week. The International SportsAcademy (ISA) and Youth Basketball ofAmerica in Costa Rica (YBOA) have puttogether the first of what organizers expectwill be many youth basketball clinics conductedby stars of the NBA.Former NBA three-point king CraigHodges teams up with Los AngelesClippers Strength and Conditioning CoachJohnny Doyle and Continental BasketballAssociation Coach Laurian Watkins, whohas trained such NBA giants as KobeBryant and Karl Malone, to boost youngplayers’ skills in San José, Dec. 13-18.YBOA’s general director and careerbasketball coach for Costa Rica’s nationalselection, Rodolfo Fonseca, said heexpects 50-100 youths to enroll.FONSECA is experienced in organizinginternational basketball events, havinglead YBOA’s efforts the last two years tobring NCAA players to Costa Rica to playagainst teams in the national league. Todate, nine U.S. university teams have facedCosta Ricans on their home courts, andfour of them suffered a loss.Basketball has staked a claim on CostaRica, and although soccer fields outnumberbasketball hoops, the sport is second inpopularity.Maritxu Chastellier, an ISA representativein Costa Rica, said, “We considersport a powerful social tool, and a lot ofour philosophy is a mix of: ‘a society whoisolates its youth loses its foundations,’and ‘One kid at a time we can change theworld.’ An integrated approach to sportcan help create many little leaders forpeace.”Scholarships for the clinic are availablefor 10 kids who cannot afford to enroll otherwise.The basketball clinic takes place in theNational Gymnasium on the east side ofthe La Sabana Park in east San José, Dec.13-18. Enrollment costs $250, and boysand girls 7-18, may sign up. They will playand train five hours per day for six days,10 a.m. -3 p.m. and each will receive a uniform,an autographed ball, and a dailysnack. For information or to enroll, call228-6760 or 228-8141, fax 228-7385 or emailyboa@racsa.co.cr
