WAVERLY RECREATION / HEMP GEEK SPONSORING 12U AAU BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM THAT IS FREE TO PLAYERS (2020-02-15)
TRY-OUTS SET FOR FEB. 16, FEB. 23, MARCH 1
By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY "” Waverly Recreation Director Dave Shaw is always looking to find something new for "the kids" in the Valley, and with the assistance of Hemp Geek owner Keith Thomas, Waverly Rec. will be sponsoring a 12U AAU boys basketball team this spring that will be fully-funded by sponsors and free to the athletes.
"We exceeded our numbers in our basketball program this year," said Shaw. "And, we have a large number kids in the 5th- and 6th-grade division that want to continue basketball, so we needed to do something.
"I spoke with several of the parents and, unfortunately, most can't afford the money it takes to play AAU basketball," he noted. "Typically, it's at least $400 to play AAU basketball.
"I talked to (Hemp Geek owner) Keith Thomas, who is a great friend of Waverly Recreation ... we got our heads together and decided to start our own AAU basketball team," Shaw added.
Shaw doesn't want the cost associated with AAU basketball to stop kids in the area from participating.
"The cost can be prohibitive, with travel, gas, meals, hotels, etc.," he said. "This program won't cost the families anything - the kids are going to play for free. We'll outfit them with new uniforms, warm-ups, bags - everything.
"The only cost the parents will be responsible for is the $16 fee to register for AAU, so the kids are eligible to play," added Shaw.
"We just want to give the kids an opportunity, without the normal cost associated, which can be prohibitive," said Hemp Geek owner Keith Thomas.
While Hemp Geek, which donates regularly to Waverly Rec., is the major sponsor of the team, Shaw said Tomasso's Restaurant & Golf Course, Broad Street Barber Shop, and Big Foote's, as well as the Elmira Enforcers / Elmira Pioneers will also be sponsors of the program.
The 12U team will be selected after a series of try-outs, which will be held on consecutive Sundays (Feb. 16, Feb. 23, and March 1) at 6 p.m. at the for Chemung Elementary School.
Shaw said try-outs are open to all athletes eligible to play 12U.
"This is not just about the kids from Waverly," he said. "We're looking to see how many kids we can get from Athens, Sayre, and Tioga, as well as Spencer-VanEtten, Candor, Owego, Towanda, Elmira, Horseheads ... kids from anywhere can play.
"We're here to promote the kids, and that's what we're going to do," noted Shaw.
"Our goal eventually is to have AAU basketball "” both boys and girls - and AAU baseball and softball," he continued. "We'd like to have multiple age groups - 10U, 12U, 13U, 14U and so on.
"If there's enough interest this year, we'll have more than one team," added Shaw. "We could have an elite team, and a regular AAU team. It's about the kids."
Longtime Montrose High School coach Reggie Hawkins, who also coaches the semi-pro Binghamton Bulldogs, will coach the team.
"I contacted Reggie Hawkins, who had been down here for the Evan Davies 3-on-3 Tournament, and he said he'd be more than willing to come down and coach," said Shaw. "He came here to do a couple of clinics with the kids, and we were on our way to having our own AAU basketball program.
"He loves basketball, and he's willing to promote, and help kids in any way he can," Shaw added.
Thomas said the AAU program will be about more than just basketball or baseball.
"We want to make this more than a sports program," he said. "We want to make sure the athletes are good students. They will have to be in good standing with their school, and they'll have to have good grades and good attendance.
"The idea is to round the young man or young lady for the future, so they will be responsible young adults.
"And, Reggie Hawkins has a great history of molding kids into more than just athletes," Thomas added.
Shaw notes Waverly Rec. is also willing to sponsor kids from the Valley in other endeavors as well.
"It's not just about sports," he said. "If we can something for kids, whether it's music, technology, dance, whatever ... we're about the kids.
"If we get a group of 10 or 15 kids from Waverly that come to us, and it's something we can promote them in, I'm willing to do it," noted Shaw. "We will find the funding.
"Anything to help the kids in Waverly, and the Valley," he added.
