Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is a fast-paced and physical sport that requires many fundamental skills, athleticism, and teamwork to succeed.
Over the last few months, the Discovery College Girls and Boys U20 Cobra Basketball teams have achieved fantastic results.
The girl's teams went undefeated this season, winning the International School Sport Federation of Hong Kong (ISSFHK) Division 2 League
And both teams defended their titles at the Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS), which took place at the Australian International School of Hong Kong.
Being a long-time Discovery Bay resident and Discovery College Parent, it was great to see the school having sporting success.
Guided by coach Jennifer Mackay, Lydia Clohesy, and Chris McLeay and led by Team Captains Norah and Steven, the teams trained twice a week before school, developing Fundamentals Skills and learning to play honest, hard basketball.
Both teams were relatively new, with some players only starting to play basketball for the first time this season. Playing against more experienced teams who have built team chemistry can be challenging.
But for boys, Captain Steven, this did not deter the team. It was an opportunity for the players on the team to trust each other and build resilience.
Those values are at the forefront of the culture coaches Jennifer, Lydia, and Chris have installed in the Basketball Teams.
They wanted players to understand the importance of teamwork, support each other, be accountable, and positively represent themselves and the team.
Despite the challenges the teams may have faced this year, there were a lot of highlights.
For the boys defending the title and winning ACAMIS was a proud moment for team Captain Steven.
After all the challenges they face throughout the season, winning ACAMIS has shown how far the team has come.
For the girls, it was seeing how the new players developed throughout the season in their overall play and confidence and showing resilience, returning from a 10-point deficit to win ACAMIS.
When speaking to the coaches, they describe the season in 3 words, challenging, growth, and pride.
Following on from the season's success, Jennifer and Chris would like to see the sport continue to grow at Discovery College, and many girls and boys take up the sport and come and try out for the team.
The College has started to offer Basketball for every age group in the school, starting as young as Year 2 students.
To end, the Team Captains, Norah and Steven have a message for all aspiring Basketball players at Discovery College and in the Discovery Bay community.
Be confident in yourself and your team; the end of the day is about the team score, not who scores.
I want to thank the Coaches and Team Captains for the time and for sharing the success of their season with the Discovery Bay community and me.
They hope to see many of you supporting the teams at their home court, the Snake Pit, in the upcoming season.
Comments