Cockburn Basketball Association is pleased to announce their Cougars SBL Academy is underway with the first morning session conducted today under the watchful eye of Coach David Herbert and WSBL superstar import Stephanie Jones.

The Cougar academy concept has been put together to fast track up-and-coming young Cockburn athletes who aspire to play at an SBL level or above. It is a holistic program based on providing athletes and coaches with the required skills to compete at the next level.

David Herbert who is running the new Cougars SBL Academy commented, “It is pleasing in my new role with Cockburn Basketball the association is investing in its young rising stars. Cockburn is striving to position itself as one of the leading associations in Western Australia in relation to the development of its players and coaches and I believe this morning is a major step forward in achieving this goal.

“There are some great young athletes and coaches within the association and I was pleased with the first day of Academy training. I have no doubt many of these young players, who have been identified by their respective SBL and WSBL Head Coaches, will move on to bigger and better things in the future.” He added.

The aim of the program is to ensure that young aspiring players in Cockburn have the chance to learn and develop their games. The trend for Cockburn’s SBL teams has been to foster young talent with the current squads full of home grown players.

The Cougar SBL Academy is not just limited to the players who were selected in the initial intake; it is an ongoing process of assessing talent throughout the association and finding the right moment to include young players in the overall Cockburn Cougars Development Pathway. Many of the new programs that are being put in place are the building blocks for future success.

Coach David Herbert added, “Over the next few months some exciting developments are in store for Cockburn Basketball with the commencement of a variety of new programs for young aspiring basketball athletes and coaches. I am really looking forward to implementing these programs and watching the future success of the association.”

The new programs commencing heading into June for athletes and coaches from within the Cockburn Basketball Association:

• Cougars Cubs Program- A program for 3 to 6 year old players
• Cougar Hoops ProgramA program for 7 to 10 year old players
• Cougar WABL Development ProgramA program for 10 & 11 year olds
• Cougars Futures ProgramA program for 11, 12 & 13 year old players
• Cougars Performance ProgramA program for 14, 15 & 16 year old players
• Cougars SBL Academy An open aged program for holistic development of players

Exciting times are certainly ahead for Cockburn Basketball as they strive to develop both athletes and coaches towards the future.

For further information please contact Cockburn Basketball Association on 9335 9101

Article by Cockburn Cougars