The Scituate High School Boys’ Varsity Basketball team is known for their success on the court. However, many people don’t know of their success as team by giving back to the Scituate community. They do it quietly, but in reality it is not quiet to the community members who have felt the impact of these great young men. On Saturday, March 7th, the basketball team visited the All Star Basketball program run by the Course Foundation. The team has visited the program for the last five or six years.
Mike Connor, who has been involved with the Course Foundation since its inception, runs the All-Star Basketball Program. The program has two different groups. Mr. Connor described the groups’ goals. He said, “The first group is geared toward younger kids to give them a foundation on the fundamentals of basketball through drills and games. Hopefully the kids reach an interest level that will have them continue playing the game of basketball.” In describing the difference between the groups, Connor added, “The second group is mostly older kids with special needs. The class is geared more toward playing the game of basketball at a non-competitive level that challenges the kids enough to improve but sets them up to succeed.” Praising participants in the program, Connor said, “The counselors and volunteers play a key role as role models in this program.”
Team members went to Wampatuck School to assist with the program for both sessions. Helping kids during drills, team members assisted with triangle passing, relay races, and dribbling from one end of the court to the other.
Coach Poirier, the head coach of the high school varsity basketball team, described the team’s role on their visit. He said, “My role, as well as my players’ role, is to model and demonstrate basic basketball fundamental skills — passing, shooting and dribbling.” Poirier also explained, “But just as importantly, while we work on these basic skills, we must demonstrate the absolute basketball necessity of talking and communicating in everything we do while playing basketball.” Poirier added, “Our players must be loud and proud, show proper and due respect to the kids and the game of basketball by helping the kids understand that they can work hard, be loud and have fun while doing so.”
When asked about the impact of the high school players on the program’s participants, Poirier stated, “I love the immediate impact it seems to have. Every year we go, the sheer height and size of our players seems to have an immediate ‘wow’ factor with the kids. But the second that our players engage and get involved with the participants on a one to one situation is where you really see the impact.”
Connor echoed Poirier’s sentiments, stating that the impact of the varsity players is “invaluable.” He said the high school students’ participation represents a “highlight for the participants.” Connor added, “The young kids are in awe of the players, and the older participants appreciate the collaboration that takes place between the best basketball players in town and the All-Stars kids.” Recognizing the character development aspect of the program, Connor said, “At that moment it is not about wins, losses, or competition. It is about the core values that our high school and All-Stars athletes excel at, being good, caring people.” In his opinion, the program “brings out the best in everyone involved.”
Coach Poirier commented on this by saying, “I think for a lot of my players our annual visit to the Course All-Stars is eye opening and rewarding at the same time. Every time we work with the Course basketball kids, we leave better for the experience.” Poirier said he has seen first-hand the influence of the high school players on the program. “I remember the first time going and seeing the kids hesitant to jump right in and join the team. Now when we go, the kids support each other, clap, yell, sprint and without question play basketball loud and proud,” he said.
Connor believes the visit is special and shows “the genuine love of community we have in Scituate.” He said, “We have people from all ages coming together to make lives better for others.”