Te Kauwhata’s youngest players have had their first taste of basketball; the brainchild of a coach who admits his passion is not playing, but in coaching and nurturing enthusiasm for the sport in youngsters.
The four-week Hearty Hoopers free pilot programme started late August, with a dozen or so enthusiastic 5–7-year-olds getting an appreciation of the game over a 4-week period– and perhaps dreaming of being the next Steven Adams.
Coach Todd Burne explains: “We started with a free four-week trial just to see how everything goes. After that, if we continue into a full-term programme, there may be a small term fee. My goal is for any money made from the programme to go straight back into Hearty Hoopers for things like equipment, certificates, trophies, end of term celebrations and creating more opportunities for the kids.
“For me, success is giving my kids and other kids in the community access to opportunities that I didn’t necessarily have growing up.”
Coach Todd says he’s always been more of a basketball fan than a player.” I’ve followed the NBA for years and in fact my oldest son Brodie’s name comes from Russell Westbrook’s nickname, “The Brodie.” (Westbrook recently retired from a stellar career in the US NBA scene where he played for several top teams; in fact you may have seen him on recent tv ads).
But when young Brodie took up basketball, his father moved from coaching rugby league in Perth to coaching Brodie’s basketball team, sharing a passion for the game. Todd’s wife, Christine, has always been involved as well managing teams and handling the ‘business’ of the game from times and social media, creating a supportive environment for the aspiring players in the family.
The proud dad watched young Brodie progress through weekend basketball academy in Perth through playing for the Seville Dragons club. The youngster picked up the game at 6 years old, but by the time he was 10 he was \the right age to successfully trial for WABL (Western Australia Basketball League) – a selection-based league in Perth.
After a 16-year stint in Australia -originally for family reasons – the Burne family returned to NZ, wanting to raise their children here. ‘We wanted the sense of community and family we couldn’t find in Perth” Todd says,
Arriving in Te Kauwhata a couple of months back, Todd and Christine noticed there wasn’t much on offer for Te Kauwhata’s younger children as an introduction to basketball. Most options, he says, were in Hamilton or Auckland, but he was keen to encourage son Brodie’s growing enthusiasm for the game at a more local level.
“I wanted to create something local where kids can have fun, learn the basic skills of basketball, build confidence and hopefully develop a love for the game. I also have plans to run more serious type of programmes for older kids in the future, and build into a community programme that is multiple skill based”
Todd and Christine are already planning the next module, to run in Term 4 at the gym at Te Kauwhata College. Again, the emphasis will be on 5–7-year-olds. To find out more, message Todd on 020 401 42075 or email heartyhoopers@gmail.com
By Claire Simpson
