Heathdale Hornets Basketball Club Inc.

Statement of Purpose:

* To provide a Basketball environment where personal development in basketball skills and fitness is encouraged in a team situation, with a strong emphasis on continually developing player attitude and character consistent with Biblical principles.

* To promote an increased awareness both within and outside the Club of basketball activities to young people.

* To gather together people interested in the overall development of the basketball activities.

Key Words
Personal development in…
Skills
* Involves the fundamentals of playing the game of basketball (which will cross over into other ball sports).
* Involves the basics of playing the game in a fair and competent manner within the rules of the game.
Fitness
* Involves gaining the physical fitness needed to play the game to the best of each person’s ability.
* Involves discipline, self-control and repetition of exercises designed to bring on that fitness.
* This fitness also involves the mental ‘fitness’ to be able to compete in the arena under the tough pressure of the game situation.
Team Environment
* Involves learning how to be a team player and developing the ability to make personal goals and accomplishments subservient to the team goals.
* It means teaching and modeling humility and selflessness and not tolerating arrogance and selfish attitudes within the team. (no I in team; champion team v. team of champions, etc)
* This involves celebrating ‘team’ actions as higher and more important than individual brilliance. The individual is only as important as his or her contribution to the team.
Player Attitude
* This involves the development of the attitudes of respect, honesty, controlled intensity, fairness, kindness, and humility.
* The goal is for the players to display these attitudes to the coach, fellow team players, opposition players, referees, parents, and all others involved in the club or any individual game.
* These attitudes will be displayed through words spoken, emotions managed, aggression channeled and the overall treatment of all others involved in the game.
Character
* This involves the building of the life skills that are necessary to play the game of basketball in the right manner while learning how to live right and treat other people right in the process.
* Basketball is an illustration of the ‘conflicts’ of life and it can be a great teaching tool for all of us in several areas. Some of these areas include:
- How to win with grace and humility;
- How to lose with your head held high and learn from the experience;
- How to manage an “unfair” call by the referee;
- How to handle anger when it comes;
- How to deal with conflict;
- How to persevere when the going is tough;
- How to encourage others who are not as good as you;
- How to put the team before the individual;
* All of these are the things that are consistent with Biblical principles and need to be the focus of our coaching and modeling as a club.