“We’re starting fresh, so we’re going to slowly build from the basics.”
The Assist For Youth (AFYU) project, which ASSIST is running since 2022 to develop youth basketball in South Korea. The Gwangju Flick Basketball Classroom’s 4th grade varsity team, which is part of the project, is starting a new program.
Unlike the recently active 3rd grade varsity team, the 4th grade varsity team of Gwangju Flick has been playing with their 3rd grade siblings due to lack of personnel. However, in August of this year, the number of students who wanted to play on the varsity team was increased, and the Gwangju Flick 4th grade varsity team grew to eight players. Doo Hyun-woo, Jung Woo-bin, Park Sung-hyun, Kim Do-hoon, Song Chan-woo, Lee Yoo-chan, Lee Yoo-joon, and Lim Ji-hoon are the eight players on the Gwangju Flick 4th grade roster, 토토 and they will train every Friday and Saturday.
“We still have a lot to work on,” said Bae Sang-hee, head coach of Gwangju Flick. There are more players who are just starting to learn basketball than experienced players, so we are focusing on solidifying the basics,” said Bae Bae-hee, head of Gwangju Flick. ”However, the players are excited to play with their younger siblings in the third grade, and now they can play on the national team with their friends. Three players recently decided to join the varsity team after joining as hobbyists, so the Gwangju Flick 4th grade varsity team is now in full operation.”
The Gwangju Flick 4th grade varsity team recently played their first practice game against TOP Basketball Class. Since both teams were just formed, the matchup was organized to gain experience in the game, and Gwangju Flick won the practice game against TOP.
Bae, who plans to develop the team gradually through twice-weekly training sessions, said, “They don’t have much experience, so they have a lot to learn. In particular, we will focus a lot on the basics so that they can become solid,” said Bae.
“For the new kids, it’s also important for them to adapt, so we’ll try not to lose sight of both the basics and fun. We want to have a well-organized team with eight players that can play evenly. We will push the kids to become a team that is equally strong across all players.”
As the new elementary fourth grade varsity team is starting, parents have high expectations and a lot of responsibility, Bae said, “Both children and parents have high expectations and worries. As they have good physical condition and motivation, I will guide them to integrate well into the team with the mindset that they are the solution. We will continue to schedule practice games so that they can feel comfortable on the court later in the year,” he said.
With the resumption of the 4th grade varsity team, Gwangju Flick is also planning to start a 2nd grade varsity team in the near future so that children of all ages can enjoy basketball professionally.
Assist For Youth is a project in which Assist will join forces with youth basketball classes across the country to promote youth basketball in 2022. For more information about the project, please follow @assist_for_youth on Instagram.