Former basketball pros prepare disadvantaged kids for life's 'curve balls'

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are working with former basketball pros to build up their skills on the court and off as part of a new program called 'Helping Hoops'.

Basketball
It could be any suburban concrete jungle.

Under the shadow of Housing Commission high-rises, kids bounce a basketball over cracked bitumen.

But something very special is taking place.

These children, mostly of refugee or migrant backgrounds, are the less fortunate than most, and they are also the targets of a new charity known as "Helping Hoops".

Every Monday, the kids meet with former basketball pros who work with them to build their self-esteem and self-respect.

Former basketball pro Omar Coles said the lessons were designed to set them up for life.

"They will have to be prepared for life. And life can throw all sorts of curve balls at you," he said.

Executive Director of the initiative, Adam McKay, said the program had its challenges.

With 350 sessions rolled out yearly across a number of schools, their audience wasn’t always receptive.

"[There are instances where] kids aren’t listening, and fighting and bad attitudes outnumber the good," he said.

"But then I realised, if they were all on the right track, they wouldn’t need us".

Addressing the children at a recent session, Coles summed up the ethos behind the initiative.

"I will never quit on you," he said.  

"You may never quit."


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2 min read

Published

Updated

By Robert Grasso

Source: SBS


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