YHS coach starts basketball clinic

Gregg Dodderidge - for the Sierra Star

 

Good things are happening at the Yosemite High gym this fall.  New head coach Kevin Shaw is putting a together a unique program.  Coach Shaw has instituted special coaching clinics on Thursday evenings at the YHS gym.

Coach Shaw started with this idea in the summer.  “Many are under the impression that the more “court time” the better, and the more games players play — the more they’ll improve.  I’ve never followed that ‘quantity is better than quality.’ One good clinic can be better than weeks of gym time.  Advanced instruction makes more of an impact than common play-time.”  He added, “Our program will focus on player improvement.  The tried-and-true path to that goal is working on fundamentals.  It’s the little things in fundamentals that separate the good performing teams from the great performing teams.” 

Shaw’s objectives for having the clinics are to expose his players to college coaching and recruiting and to familiarize his players to new skills and schemes that will be implemented in the Badger program.

He also wants to create a training environment that nourishes confidence in his players by matching them up with college players in drills and play. 

Coach Shaw knows about success.  He returns to the helm of the boys program after four years.  In his first tenure as head coach of Yosemite’s boys basketball, the team set a school record for victories in a season and earned the school’s first and one-time trip to the state playoffs.  Recently, Kevin coached mens basketball at California Christian College, an NCCAA level college where CCC led the country in scoring at its level and won the college’s first Western Regional Championship title.  He’ll be bringing in six new coaches to the Badger program for the upcoming season. 

He noted that up here in the mountains it’s difficult to bring our players down to the Valley and expose them to different levels of play and instruction.  So, with contacts he made the last few years coaching college ball, Shaw thought to bring them up here.  Once the idea earned approval by the section office and the school administration, it was launched.

To date, coaches and teams from the following colleges have participated in these special clinics:  Fresno City College coach Vance Walberg (formerly of Clovis West), NAIA Fresno Pacific College’s coaching staff and team, NCCAA California Christian College’s coaching staff and team, and NCAA Fresno State players. 

Perhaps the most exciting clinic occurred on October 10.  The Big Man/Guard clinic was conducted by former Oregon State player Edward “Beau” Campbell with current Fresno State Bulldogs’ center Hiram Fuller and point guard Chris Sandy.  It was an electric evening attended by more than 25 YHS student-athletes, Cal-Christian players, and former YHS players Tyson Sonderland, and Travis Ressler.  Sonderland is now a member of the Cal-Christian squad.

Fuller, Sandy, and Campbell gave individual and team instruction. “I absolutely had a great time,” stated Chris Sandy.  “Coaching is something that I am interested in after my basketball career.”  Fuller felt, “It was a great way to give back to the community that supports the Bulldogs.” 

Campbell, who was a high school All-American in 1977 and played under Hall-of-Fame Coach Ralph Miller at Oregon State, coordinated the event with Coach Shaw.  Campbell, whose daughter Ginger was a YHS all-star player in 2000-01, “felt honored to help out the YHS boys program anyway I can.”

Future clinics are planned for conditioning-and-training techniques and injury care and prevention put on by Fresno Frenzy/Fresno Falcons trainer Mike Bohigian.  A referee-and-rules clinic held by long-time section referee Mike Parr is scheduled, too.  Also, NCAA Division II California-State University, Stanislaus will be scheduled soon.  All clinics are open to the public.