The Y’s partnership with the Atlanta Hawks was on full display recently as the YMCA of Metro Atlanta served as the presenter for the Hawks Basketball Academy’s 13th annual Atlanta Hawks Coaches Clinic.
More than 200 local coaches – community, scholastic and collegiate – gathered at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, the official practice facility for the Hawks, to learn directly from the team’s coaching staff about coaching best practices that will equip them with advanced tools and methods to enhance their coaching skills and elevate youth basketball in Georgia.
During the clinic, Hawks Head Coach Quin Snyder talked to coaches and emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge, stating that providing coaches with effective techniques leads to improved instruction and a stronger passion for basketball among Atlanta’s youth.
The highlight of the event was four coaching clinic stations set up to show the coaches how to teach their players important offensive and defensive skills. Several Y coaches attended the event including Decatur Family Y coaches Dan Land, John Clayton Anderson and Ruth Penfield. The three coaches said the clinic is a valuable resource for them.
“We are going to take everything we learned and apply it to our kids and practice,” said Dan. “We are getting all levels of coaches here, so it’s a good learning experience.”
Since its inception in 2011, more than 5,000 community coaches have benefited from the Hawks Basketball Academy’s Coaches Clinics, Virtual Coaches Clinic Series and Jr. NBA Curriculum resources.
“We believe empowering coaches is fundamental to building strong, successful teams and communities,” said Kristin McEwen, Chief Experience Officer, YMCA of Metro Atlanta. “Together with the Atlanta Hawks, we can elevate the game, foster leadership, and inspire the next generation of athletes.”
Decatur Family YMCA coaches Ruth Penfield, Dan Land and John Clayton Anderson attended the Atlanta Hawks Coaches Clinic.