Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks put their teaching skills on display
12/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - It was 9:45 a.m. and the kids and parents were already in the stands. The women’s basketball team was making their way out of the locker room and onto the court, warming up with a few shots before their morning practice officially started at 10 a.m. Most of the players were surprised at the audience, but flattered to have fans, who would later be participating in Lehigh’s basketball clinic before the 13th annual Christmas City Classic, which begins Tuesday.
“I think it’s important for our program to give back and be visible to our community. This is a great opportunity surrounding our tournament to have a clinic and hopefully draw some kids to the games and have our program exposed as well,” said head coach Sue Troyan.
Local girls from first to eighth grade were put through dynamic stretching, stations, shooting competitions, but also had the opportunity to get to know the personal side of the Mountain Hawks. For example, Alex Ross ’10 has a “funny accent from Tennessee” and Ryan Ingalls ’09 is better known as “Baller” by her teammates. Such tidbits of information were shared during a trivia session.
“Hopefully the kids get a sense for some of the fundamentals of basketball. But more importantly, our kids are ideal role models for the community and they’ve had the chance to interact with our program and our kids and the teaching that goes on,” Troyan added.
Perhaps the best thing that was shared among the young girls and the Mountain Hawks was not the competitive spirit rightly expressed during the shooting drills, but rather a common love for the game. A love that reminded the players why they play and exactly why it’s important to encourage the next generation to embrace the hardships and learning curves. Because one day they will all look back and say that the game of basketball was incredibly fun and joyous. And if they’re lucky, they’ll be able to say that it changed their lives as well.
The 2009 Christmas City Classic gets underway Tuesday afternoon when St. Bonaventure meets IUPUI at 2:00 p.m. at Stabler Arena That contest will be followed by host Lehigh and Wagner at 4:30. The consolation and championship games will take place Wednesday afternoon. All four contests can be seen free of charge on Lehighsports.com with Jeff Tourial calling the action.
Story Written by Kristen Dalton '10
