Basketball program offers community’s youth enjoyment

By Teri Normandin
POST-REGISTER

The Lockhart Little Dribblers youth basketball program holds games every Saturday at the Lockhart Freshman Campus gymnasium for ages 4-15 years. The program is held over an 8-week session with 220 participants this year compared to last year”s 150 participants.
“We have definitely grown this year,” Assistant Director Louis

Jones said. “It is a great experience for the kids because they get to learn the game of basketball and experience camaraderie. This program also helps keep the children off the streets.”
Besides the weekly games and practices, the children get to participate in the Spurs free “2-Ball”shooting contest during the halftimes of the 9-14 age group games on Saturdays. The shooting contest is a separate competition from the league games. It consists of a team of two participants taking shots from designated areas on the court and accumulating points in a 60-second period. The two-player teams compete against each other, and the teams with the most points advance to compete against district and regional teams from across Texas.
Last year, two of Lockhart”s youth, Jordan McCuen and Joseph Gonzales, advanced in the Spurs “2-Ball” contest by earning 53 points in the final competition. The two-man team was invited to compete on the floor of the SBC Center in San Antonio during a Spurs game.
Jones handles the sponsorship committee; Ellie Perez handles the fundraising committee and Kathy Jones, Sheri Brown, and Belinda Gillis head the banquet committee for the Lockhart Little Dribblers program.
With the Spurs/Pizza Hut Drug-Free Basketball League, the participants are guaranteed a drug-free lesson each week and all volunteers are given a background check before working with the children.
This year”s banquet will be held Saturday, March 4, at the Lockhart High School cafetorium from 7-9 p.m.
For more information or questions about the Lockhart Little Dribblers program contact Lee Eckford or Cleo Cashe, owners of the Community Recreational Center, at 398-5507.
terireed@post-register.com