Baltimore County Basketball Program Updates!

December Pre-Season Training Sessions a Hit
By Mike Czarnowsky| mczarnowsky@comcast.net
January 02, 2010

Special Olympics Maryland Baltimore County held two pre-season basketball training sessions at McDonogh School during December and had a major influx of new basketball players this year – nearly 80, which is double the number in last year’s program. We’re very excited about the increase and are looking forward to a great program this season.

Three Different Basketball Programs Offered in 2010

Baltimore County will be offering three training programs for basketball, with athlete assignments based on the ability level of the athlete.

3v3 Half Court Team Basketball

• Head Coach: Randy Thomas, sharonandrandy@verizon.net, 410.294.9808

• Training: Saturdays, 10:00 – noon at Boys Latin School, starts Saturday, January 9, 2010 (please note that training location will shift after February 6)

5v5 Full Court Team Basketball (Traditional and Unified)

• Head Coach: Mack McGee, mackmcgee84@gmail.com, 410.925.9686

• Training: Sundays, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at McDonogh, starts Sunday, January 10, 2010

Player Development Team / Individual Skills Basketball

• Head Coach: Mike Czarnowsky, mczarnowsky@comcast.net, 410.526.7325

• Training: Sundays, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at McDonogh, starts Sunday, January 10, 2010

Please also note that the absolute last day for a player to start basketball is the weekend of January 16/17, no exceptions. If an athlete has not started practice by that weekend or does not have all necessary forms submitted by then, the player will not be part of the basketball program for 2010.

If you would like to play basketball but did not attend one of the sessions in December, you must start training no later than the weekend of January 16/17 and must have all forms submitted by that weekend, including an up-to-date medical release. To determine which of the three programs you should attend, please contact one of the three head coaches listed to discuss which program would best match your ability level.

The Player Development Team / Individual Skills program is a new offering for Baltimore County. This program, which will practice at the same time/location as the 5v5 program, is focused on working with athletes to develop their individual and team basketball skills. The practices, which will be coordinated by Coach Mike (me), will be different from previous Individual Skills sessions – we will be doing skills, drills, and lots of games. As the season progresses, many of the athletes in this program will be placed on Player Development Teams, which are 3v3 teams that include a mentor/partner/coach who plays as an on-court player/mentor for the team and helps the players develop their team skills. The teams will play as a team at tournaments and will be awarded “Athlete Challenge Medals” for their participation at events where awards are presented. This is a relatively new program for Special Olympics and, while similar to Unified Sports, is different in that the partner’s role is much more like that of a coach. It is our hope that many/most of the players in this program will be able to play on Player Development Teams. Please note that we’ll be looking for some additional volunteers to help serve in the role of these mentors.

Directions to McDonogh School

8600 McDonogh Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117

• From the Baltimore Beltway (695) take exit 19 West onto Reisterstown Road, headed towards Owings Mills.

• Turn left at McDonogh Road.

• McDonogh School is approximately 1 1/2 miles down McDonogh Road on the right (be sure to use the entrance on “Woods Road”).

Directions to Boys Latin School

822 West Lake Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210

• From the Beltway (695) take Charles Street south to Lake Avenue (approximately 3.5 miles).

• Turn right onto Lake Avenue

• Continue straight through the Roland Avenue intersection.

• Boys’ Latin is approximately 1/16 of a mile beyond Roland Avenue.

• Entrance to the Upper School and Gelston Athletic Center will be on your right.

Basketball Athletes Assigned to Programs

Athletes who participated in the December pre-season training sessions have been assigned to the program that best matches their ability level. Download a copy of the program assignments here.

Please note that these assignments will not be changed except under very extreme circumstances, typically only if we, the coaches, have made an error in assessing the athlete’s ability level. Unfortunately since the assignments are based on ability levels, the convenience of the practice times cannot be a factor.

Actual teams have not yet been determined – we expect to do so in mid-January.

More information will be provided at the first practice session of each program. If you have any questions in the interim, please contact the head coach for your program. Questions of a more general nature can be directed to Coach Mike (me).

If you would like to play basketball but did not attend one of the sessions in December, you must start training no later than the weekend of January 16/17 and must have all forms submitted by that weekend, including an up-to-date medical release. To determine which of the three programs you should attend, please contact one of the three head coaches listed to discuss which program would best match your ability level.