Registration for youth basketball is open until Oct. 30 with the season starting Nov. 6, according to Kevin Rooney, director of Lakeland Parks and Recreation.
‘Youth basketball registration just started last week,” said Mr. Rooney. “We have the following numbers in each age group:”
Ages 5-6: 13
Ages 7-8: 20
Ages 9-10: 16
Ages 11-14: 9
“We are capping the league at 180 this year to make sure we have enough gym space. We will be using the Elementary School Lakeland Elementary School) gym, and St. Paul’s gym (St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2949 Davies Plantation Rd).”
He said the basketball program will continue to focus on teaching the fundamentals, teamwork and understanding of the game. “Don’t worry if you haven’t ever played basketball, because this is where you’ll learn,” he added.
Each participant will be enrolled in the Junior Grizzlies program. Several lucky players will get the opportunity be a part of the “Player Experience” as they will play on the Memphis Grizzlies court during halftime, be a part of the High 5 Tunnel and be on the court with the Grizzlies players during the singing of the National Anthem.
All participants will receive a free ticket to the same game to cheer on their fellow teammates and the Memphis Grizzlies, said Mr. Rooney.
“Our 5-6 year old flag football just wrapped up,” said Mr. Rooney. “We had four teams with 36 total participants this year. All our other leagues are going on now until the end of October. The numbers for those are listed.”
7-8 year old: 20
9-10 Blue Team: 18
9-10 Silver Team: 18
6th/7th grade: 37
Youth Cheerleading: 33
“We currently have an adult flag football league that plays every Saturday at the City Hall Fields. We have seven teams, with 75 total participants for that program.”
