After a tasty breakfast catered by Chieftains varsity coaches Jaycob Morales and Mike O’Connor, the Masconomet boys’ varsity basketball team ran a youth clinic to thank the community and teach young players on February 23rd.
Two clinics were held for different age groups, and they were completely coached by Morales and his players. The first clinic was for the younger age group, consisting of players from grades one through five, and the older group consisted of players from grades six through eight.
“Today was a free clinic, as the booster club and I tried to come up with a fun way to give back to the community because we feel the community has embraced our team and program, shown us lots of love, and supported us not just physically but with money and endorsements,” said Morales. “We are truly grateful for everything the community has done this season. This is what it’s all about—building a strong community and culture.”
In each clinic, the kids were separated by grade and, in some cases, split again into two groups, with each group being assigned a couple of varsity players as coaches.
Both clinics started mainly with fundamental ball-handling and footwork drills, then eventually moved into layup drills and jump-shot work. After the basics were covered, Morales introduced some fun contests that involved shooting or one-on-one play, varying by age group. To cap off the day, each group scrimmaged—either in a half-court set for the younger kids or a full-court set for the older kids.
“Overall, today was fun, and it was awesome to have our whole team there coaching up the future of Masco basketball,” said star point guard and junior captain Jimmy Farrell. “The younger kids loved playing knockout and hotshot [shooting games], while the older kids enjoyed king of the court, one-on-one, and five-on-five scrimmages. It was definitely a success getting to teach and coach the younger kids who look up to us and admire us. Providing them with this clinic allowed us to show our appreciation and give back to those who come to support us every game and follow along with our success.”
Not only was this clinic a great, cost-free way to give back to the youth, but it also showed the children what it means to be a Chieftain high school basketball player. There were many extremely talented players in all age groups and all the kids worked hard.
“Both groups gave a strong effort today, and I was thrilled to see so many inspiring young basketball players,” said Morales. “Unfortunately, some seventh and eighth graders weren’t able to make it due to games or prior commitments, but seeing a bunch of kids in Masco uniforms coming out and having fun while playing was exciting. Basketball should be fun—it’s about working hard and gaining life skills. We were glad to have the opportunity to provide for these kids because the culture we are building here means everybody is included, not just varsity guys.”
As fun as it was for the kids, the varsity players had a great time, too. Many bonded well with the kids and were great teachers to the youth. Feeling admired and inspiring to these kids is a special honor that will stick with each varsity player forever.
“It’s great to give back to the community because we know the support they have shown our program all season long. Our student section and the crowd at our games have been like a sixth man for us,” said senior captain Devin O’Brien. “These kids are the future of the program, so it was cool to teach them skills and inspire them to be Masco basketball players. It was a fun day from 12 to 3, seeing all these players come out and even seeing some who have attended youth camps over the summer.”
During the youth camp, the MIAA dropped the playoff schedule for all divisions, sparking some buzz. Masco secured its first home playoff game in over 15 years and with the youth by their side they defeated (26) Hopkinton, 77 to 59, this past Thursday. The Chieftains now look onto (23) Middleboro tomorrow.
Kudos to the boosters, coaching staff, players, fans, and community for transforming the Chieftain basketball program into both a powerhouse and a strong community. Events like these are what will create a lasting standard and culture within the program as a new legacy of players arises.