Nearly 40 Lawrence Township girls showed they “got game” as they spent their summer vacation learning the fundamentals of basketball – as well as some life lessons – in a basketball clinic led by Coach Billy Chester.
The “Girls Got Game” clinic, sponsored by the Lawrence Township Recreation Department, focused on teaching the girls how to handle a basketball, how to shoot and how to play defense. It was open to girls in grades 5-12.
The clinic, which ran from July 19 to Aug. 9, also taught the girls about conditioning, rebounding, game knowledge and teamwork. It was held at Lawrence High School and Village Park.
The girls not only learned how to dribble a basketball and how to hand it off to another player – they also learned to have more confidence in themselves, through encouragement by Chester and his volunteer coaching assistants.
“Our girls have been great. Some came in, never having played basketball before. They learned to believe in themselves and their potential, (playing) alongside others who maybe had a little bit of experience coming into the clinic,” Chester said.
Their confidence in themselves grew not only through support from their teammates and coaches, but also in seeing themselves get better and realizing they can do it, he said.
Chester acknowledged at the end of the clinic that he would miss the girls. He said it was “amazing” to see what the clinic accomplished in a short amount of time as the girls learned about the game and about themselves.
“These young ladies have an intense work ethic. They all tried to do their best, doing things that some of them maybe never did before they came to the clinic,” he said.
“Watching their progress and witnessing the week-to-week and even day-to-day improvement brings me more joy than anything. Seeing so many young ladies come out this summer gives me tremendous hope in the future of girls’ basketball,” Chester said.
