Basketball Club

Back by popular demand, the basketball club continues to run at AIC Dianella during the last two periods on Fridays. We have a mixture of new and returning students with the latter being more than the former. There are currently students from year 7 and year 8 boys. The year 7 students have come with a lot of energy and chemistry, after playing together for over a year during recess and lunch play. They love the game and motivate each other to become better. The year 8 students make up for this with experience and by playing smart.

The club usually begins with some feedback and guidance by Mr. Bruce of what students need to work on and what they have done well. Captains are then asked to pick players one at a time. Teams are formed and then a warmup for the body and mind is held. The captains then fight it out to see who can hit a 3 pointer to determine the order the teams play in. We run a full court 5 on 5 without substitutions unless there are uneven number of players.

Week 7 was the first time a team has gone undefeated for the day, winning 7 matches without a loss. This was a team of year 8 boys who often play together. Their chemistry is nearly unmatched and they played the game fairly. They showed sportsmanship by telling the truth when the ball went out of bounds and gave an opponent some opportunities when the opponent’s team wasn’t as good as theirs.  There were times when they were down 2-0, but they ended up coming back to win 2-3. This shows courage and a never give up attitude to come back from the brinks of defeat. In the coming weeks a format change may be tested. This will allow quicker games hopefully, with a more intense focus on defence.

Basketball can be more than just a game. The hope is that whatever positive skills students learn during basketball, such as hard work, determination, persistence, they will be able to replicate these skills in other areas of their lives such as school or work Inshallah.