The JCC of Indianapolis houses a Jr. Pacers league, for boys and girls ages 4-10, who are just starting off in their basketball experiences. Between two different seasons they have 24 teams with over 150 participants. During the league’s weekly practices, the volunteer coaches teach the fundamentals of the game, specifically focusing on dribbling, passing, and playing defense. The players only work on shooting at the end of practice, so that their attention is more on learning the basic skills of the sport in a fun environment. Another focus of the JCC Indy is to promote healthy living and healthy eating. They offer a free kids cooking class in order to prevent injury by teaching kids to cook with kitchen equipment they might use at home.
In addition, the coaches of the Jr. Pacers utilize a unique technique with their two younger-age groups. Each player on the team wears a different colored wristband, and they can only guard the player on the opposing team that has the matching colored wristband. This method is intended to prevent double teaming. The league also only allows steals off the pass, not off the dribble. These two rules reinforce important lessons on both offense and defense. On offense, the player with the ball learns how to dribble through his or her opponents. On defense, the offender learns to stay on their man with their hands out and feet moving. The Director of Athletics even stated that,” you will often times hear [our] coaches encouraging and instructing opposing players that are within earshot; striving to reach our goal of improving all players, not just to their specific team.”
To cap off their season, the Jr. Pacers players are invited to an Indiana Pacers game where select participants are able to engage in on-court activities at halftime. The participants are chosen based on their behavior both on and off the court throughout the season, giving them a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The JCC of Indianapolis’ Jr. Pacers League plans to use their Under Armour gift card to purchase equipment such as practice pinnies, cones, wristbands, and more.
