COCKBURN Basketball Association is on a mission to develop some of the best young players in the state-and they have hired just the man to help them do it.
State under-16 boys’ coach Tyrone Thwaites has gone back to his grassroots, taking on the role of coaching and player pathways leader at Cockburn’s Hamilton Hill base.
Thwaites said athlete and player development was a fulfilling area to work in and he was excited to be able to lead such a program at his home club.
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READ NOW“I’ve recognised that our junior development program needs to take a new direction, some more leadership and a bit of a shake-up,” he said.
“On our girls’ side, participation and retention of athletes is so important, it’s been an area we have been struggling in and has been a priority since I’ve been involved.
“Also the overall identity of our junior program has probably not been at the level we would have liked for a few years now so we’ve worked to develop our own coaching philosophy and style of play that is uniquely Cockburn to give our athletes the best chance to reach their goals.
“We all want Cockburn to be a destination club for juniors across WA.”
Thwaites said he and his team were already seeing positive signs.
“We’ve got our under-12/under-14 development program up and running now and we have nearly 120 athletes in those two age groups alone, which sets a great foundation for our WABL program moving forward,” he said.
“We’re pretty close to finalising an agreement with both Andy Stewart and the Zealous basketball program that allows our elite under-14, under-16 and under-18 athletes tho thrive in an environment together.”
When all was said and done, he said the biggest goal was to get more children playing basketball.
“Basketball offers something more than just skill development,” he said.
“It builds social interaction, discipline, confidence and it’s a whole lot of fun.
“The Cougar family is an exciting place to be a part of right now.”
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