S

Several high profile basketball coaches will be sharing their knowledge and skills at a Halloween basketball camp that will take place at Killarney Sports Centre from Tuesday, October 30 to Thursday, November 1.

The annual Triple Threat Basketball Camp is the brainchild of well-known Killarney basketball coach James Weldon and it presents a great opportunity for budding young basketballers to work with and learn from some top coaches.

The three-day Halloween camp is open to boys and girls from age 6 to 17. It will be divided into two sections. The junior camp is for 6 to 11-year-olds and runs from 10am to 1pm on each of the three days. The senior camp is for 12 to 17-year-olds and will run from 2pm to 5pm each day.

The young players in attendance will be learning from some of the best Irish and international coaches. James Weldon is joined by Irish U-18 Women's Head Coach Tommy O'Mahony, Irish internationals Claire Rockall and

Louise Galvin, Scotts Lakers’ star player Seán O'Brien and Rathmore's Jim Hughes, while Portugal senior national team Head Coach Ricardo Vasconcelos is an exciting addition to the camp this year.

James Weldon is a FIBA Europe Coaching Certificate (FECC) approved basketball coach and one of Europe's most qualified youth coaches. He is a former Super League player with St Paul’s Killarney and coached the St Paul’s ladies team through an impressive stint in the top flight, before going on to enjoy incredible success with the all-conquering UL Huskies Super League and National Cup-winning team.

He coached UL to 10 national titles in four seasons and was honoured with the Irish Basketball Coach of the Year award on three different occasions. His talents have also been recognised with his appointment as Head Coach of a number of Irish teams.

These coaches will guide all participants through some challenging and very beneficial skills sessions. Young players will learn new skills and drills and gain huge insight into the fundamentals of basketball that will help them improve their overall game.

Triple Threat is a basketball term where a player is in position to pass, dribble and shoot on offense. The Triple Threat Basketball Camp will have daily stations covering all the passing, shooting, dribbling and rebounding skills. Participants will also enjoy 3 versus 3 games and 5 versus 5 games and an NBA skills challenge.

A novel attraction at the camp will be the use of the latest basketball technology, including the Blast App and the 94Fifty Smart Sensor Basketball. This is a regulation basketball with sensors inside. The sensors make use of point-of-force technology to record data about your shot and your dribble and then provide data which can be instantly analysed and provide feedback in real time.

Participants will enjoy the magnificent facilities at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre, which boasts two full size indoor basketball courts. The wonderful indoor playing arena is sure to guarantee an enjoyable experience no matter what the weather is like outside.

Places at the camp are limited and have already been filling up very quickly in recent weeks. Further information about registration is available by emailing weldonjames7@hotmail.com, checking out the Triple Threat Basketball Facebook page or calling or texting 087 2907455.