The game of basketball is very popular with young people in the Cork area.
Tom Wilkinson is a teacher in St Columba's Boys’ National School, Douglas. In addition to the usual subjects on the curriculum, he is a basketball coach and player.
His young students and many others in the Cork city area play mini basketball. A scaled down version of basketball, it is played by children of primary school age and has a smaller court, shorter baskets, smaller ball and fewer players per team.
Training takes place during the final months of the school year, with young players learning the same skills as adults. Mini sport leagues provide the opportunity to practice what they have learned, but the most important factor is to have fun.
Participation is more important than competition.
Americans Ray Smith and Terry Strickland are basketball coaches who currently play with the Neptune Basketball Club. They have brought years of experience to the Irish game, but pay tribute to the work of Neptune coach Cian Black,
The game has improved in Cork tremendously.
Juvenile leagues flourishing in County Cork and the rest of the country, with the American players continuing to draw spectators and new players. Tom Wilkinson feels like he is still learning about the game and the American players have had a positive influence.
This episode of 'Anything Goes’ was broadcast on 5 April 1986.
'Anything Goes' was a young people’s programme on RTÉ Television which went out on Saturday mornings. Presented by Aonghus McAnally, Kathy Parke, Dave Heffernan, Mary FitzGerald and Mary Frances Calayco, it was first broadcast on 4 October 1980 and continued for 6 years.
