A lack of coaching and gym time has hindered the development of basketball in Mission, a group of coaches in the area say.
Anil Sharma, Amar Brar and Pavan Kalair are coaches with Mission Basketball and also coach at different schools in the community. They are focused on building the sport in Mission but face challenges in returning to the city’s glory days on the hardwood.
“Growing up, there was a pretty rich history of basketball in Mission,” Sharma said. “Everyone was playing basketball and then all of a sudden it took a standstill because of a lack of coaches and a lack of opportunities for gym time.”
Coaches are especially needed for girls teams, with Hatzic Middle School not fielding a girls squad this year. Sharma, Brar and Kalair notice a trend where players are switching schools and travelling to surrounding communities like Abbotsford and Langley to play basketball due to a lack of gym time and coaches.
“We don’t want our kids to go outside the community in order to get those facilities or those resources we already have in this community,” Brar said.
In the summer, gym time at schools is unavailable and the only place to play indoors is the Mission Leisure Centre, which is often booked up . The court can also provide financial challenges for kids and isn’t in the best condition, the coaches say.
The Mission coaches also outlined issues with a lack of outdoor courts in Mission. Mission Basketball has sent delegations to speak with the council to request more resources, including an outdoor facility where kids can play.
“We all grew up in Mission, went to Mission Secondary School and played basketball. It had a huge impact on our lives here,” Sharma said.
“We got something out of it. Now, we can give it back,” Kalair said. “If we don’t do something, no one’s doing anything. It’s never going to develop.”
Mission Basketball is a nonprofit organization determined to grow the sport of basketball in the community. The coaches are all volunteers and the fees go towards costs that include officials and tournaments.
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After getting into coaching, Sharma realized the need for grassroots development in Mission and helped to organize spring and summer camps.
“There was no one developing the younger kids, so when they came up to the older age, it was harder to teach them,” he said.
Sharma says demand is so high for basketball programs in Mission that they were forced to cut off their spring program because there’s too many people trying to sign up.
He says basketball in Mission still has support. Last summer, Mission Basketball’s 3x3 Community tournament had a much higher turnout than expected.
“We had over 40 teams sign up from kids to youth to adults. We had over 150 people come out in total for the entire two two days that we did it,” Sharma said.
The coaches are focused on teaching the game and the camps aim to develop fundamentals like form shooting and footwork.
“We love the sport of basketball and we want these kids to learn to love it,” Sharma said. “And, hey, we want to bring a championship back to Mission.”
The organization features club teams in the under-eight, under-11, under-15, and under-17 categories. Meanwhile, the Mission Basketball Spring Youth Camp runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Feb. 14- May 02 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for ages five to eight and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for ages nine to 13.
Summer camps start in May while the 3x3 Community Tournament is slated for August. More information is available www.missionbasketball.ca and inquiries can be sent to info@missionbasketball.ca.
@dillon_white
dillon.white@missioncityrecord.com
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