And with each passing year, the ability to add more layers to that foundation continues for Jeff Speedy and his University of New Brunswick Junior Varsity Reds’ basketball program.
The club program for girls wrapped up its third spring and summer season and has become a major destination for many players looking to continue their basketball season under the tutelage of high-end coaching and tournaments near and far.
“We’ve had our first generation of players pass through the program from the mini teams to bantam who have spent three years wearing our club colours,” said Speedy. “Many of the players this year had been with the program since day one and are preparing to move on to high school basketball. Now we have more players coming through the mini program who will continue to be a part of the program. The best part is all of the new faces we saw this year with our various teams. That shows the word is out and we’ve become an attractive destination.”
This past Junior VReds’ season saw mini A and B teams and bantam A and B squads compete.
The teams played in tournaments in Boston and Halifax and hosted a successful Summer Shootout tournament at UNB, using three courts at UNB and bringing in teams from across the Maritimes.
Present UNB players Laura Fowler and Melissa Foster coached various teams. Former VReds’ star Leah Corby guided a team and former Canadian University Sport basketball player Linda Speedy was also part of the coaching program. Speedy himself stepped onto the coaching court with the bantam A girls. Tiffany Tozer, a former FHS standout and Memorial University player, Kyle Woodworth and Mick Gardiner rounded out the high quality coaching staff,
“We try and ensure consistency and continuity in our programs and it’s outstanding to have such high quality coaches,” said Speedy. “The girls who have gone through our program get to know our coaches and many of them are CIS players. When the CIS season starts, it’s great to see so many of the Junior VReds players come and watch our games. They’ve built a relationship with one another and that’s very rewarding, unique and a lot of fun to watch. It makes what we do so worthwhile.”
With club basketball expanding and the season stretching through May, June and July, there’s an appetite for players to continue the learning aspect of the game.
The experience of playing against high-end competition throughout the Maritimes and New England can only help players prepare for the following season.
“Many of the teams use a lot of UNB’s ideals and practice components so the young players are becoming exposed to drills they will see down the road,” Speedy said. “We’ve seen many of the players come to the tryouts full of nerves and doubt and eight weeks later, that same player may be leading practice drills and building confidence for their fall and winter season. We stress development as a key part of our program and you can watch that development unfold in front of your eyes.”
The Junior VReds is not a fundraising mechanism for the Varsity Reds’ program. All fees go toward practice facility rentals, tournament registration, uniforms, equipment and officials.
“We have built a program that more and more people are starting to recognize. We are helping improve young basketball players and increase awareness of parents that there are so many positive rewards involved with the game. And as long as that continues we’ll continue to operate,” Speedy said. “The tournaments we play don’t award medals or have championship games. It’s about playing and it’s about improving and it takes away the win at all cost mentality when you’re playing without the pressure of semi finals or championship games. The feedback we hear is about the bonding of teams, new friendships and skill development. In a nutshell, that’s been the goal of the Junior VReds. It takes time to build a successful program, but we’re definitely on the right track.”
The Junior VReds will be back for season #4 in the Spring of 2013. Information on the program will be available right here on this website.