January 19, 2008
By Andrew Garcia

On Saturday, January 19, thirty basketball coaches from YMCAs throughout Los Angeles participated in the second Jr. Lakers coaches clinic led by Lakers Assistant Coach, Jim Cleamons, at the Westchester Family YMCA.

After a short introduction, Coach Cleamons spoke to the coaches about the importance of presenting drills in a manner in which even the youngest players can understand and execute. During the clinic Coach Cleamons presented the coaches with several age appropriate drills that covered fundamental skills such as ball handling, passing, shooting and defense.

“I really appreciate that Coach Cleamons tried to make his presentation applicable to all age-levels, even down to 4-5 year olds,” said a Jr. Lakers Coach. Coaches were able to not only learn from Coach Cleamons but were also encouraged to share their own experiences and learn from each other as well. The Jr. Lakers program strives to emphasize basketball fundamentals, fair play, good sportsmanship and family involvement in age-appropriate competition that is rewarding as well as fun.

Jim Cleamons is a member of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008. He played on the legendary 1971-72 Lakers NBA Championship team that won a professional sports record 33 consecutive games. As assistant coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jim helped guide the team to three consecutive Championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

The Lakers would like to thank the Westchester YMCA, the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles and Coach Jim Cleamons for helping make this coaches clinic possible.

January 12, 2008
By Edie Gobel

On Saturday, January 12, the Los Angeles Lakers and Jim Cleamons hosted a clinic for coaches from the West Valley YMCA, the Westside YMCA and the North Valley YMCA at the Lakers practice facility in El Segundo. Thirty coaches attended the clinic to learn how to teach basketball fundamentals to their Jr. Lakers teams.

The two-hour clinic started with a short introduction period where Jim shared his experiences playing and coaching in the NBA. The coaches were then invited on to the court to practice the most basic skill of basketball, dribbling. From there, Jim moved on to drills which target footwork, passing and defense. Everything was broken down so it could be easily taught to children. To conclude the clinic, Jim put the drills learned into context, teaching the coaches how to execute a shell defense and how to protect the ball on offense.

Afterward, coaches were asked what they thought of the clinic. “It was very informative, (Jim) did a great job,” Sports Director of the North Valley YMCA, Mike Greco, said, “I know my coaches appreciate this so much and we are happy we could be here today.”

“I think anytime that coaches get additional help and ideas that relate to the game it spills over to the kids,” Jim said, “They feel confident that they’re getting better teaching, better coaching, and someone who cares about them. That’s what it’s all about.”