Leopold Lakers Basketball Club is celebrating 30 years in 2024.
New president Jayson Newman has only taken on the role recently but is passionate about ensuring the future of the club.
“To celebrate our 30th anniversary the Lakers are taking this milestone as an opportunity to rebrand and reinvigorate our club,” he said.
“Our objective is to empower our players and provide pathways for them to be able to achieve their basketball dream, regardless of how big those dreams may be.
“Our club mission is to encourage, develop, and welcome anyone who is interested in playing basketball. Our youngest players in our Aussie Hoops program start at six years old, and our aim is to develop in them a life-long passion for basketball.”
Newman said the Lakers are a family club that has a focus on getting kids to play basketball with their friends.
“We put almost 300 kids on the court each week, and we represent over 240 families,” he said.
“As an under 12s coach for the last couple of seasons I’ve always told the team that I had two rules for them – have fun; and don’t worry about the scoreboard.
“The idea was if we were having fun we played our best basketball, and then the scoreboard took care of itself. This ‘philosophy’ didn’t always translate to wins but that was never the point. It was instilling in the players a love for the game, and at that age and experience was the best foundation to provide them. And don’t think for a second we weren’t 100 percent competitive. It’s these ideals we want our club to be known for.”
Visit leopoldlakersbc.com for more information or contact the club via leopoldlakersbc@gmail.com
