Benedetto Jamboree

December 9, 2011

at

Lynn English High School

4:30       Saugus 23  vs.   Revere 32 

5:20       Swampscott 38 vs Bishop Fenwick  24

6:10       St. Mary's 24   vs.   Peabody  15

7:00       Winthrop 31  vs.   Salem  31

7:50       Lynn Tech 25  vs.   Beverly  20

8:40       Classical 31 vs.  Marblehead 19

9:30       Lynn English 38 vs.  St. Johns 39

“Swampscott Nahant Youth Basketball Tips Off Intramural Conference” 

The new sounds of pounding basketballs, squeaking sneakers and nets swishing are usually the hallmark of basketball season openers, typically reserved to local high school gyms only after the last football season games are finished. Yet, late Sunday afternoon at the Swampscott High School, the newly formed Swampscott Nahant Youth Basketball program staged its first tip-off in what all agreed was an astounding success for all involved. Nearly 110  5^th - 8^th  grade boys from Swampscott and Nahant packed the house, along with their parents, relatives and friends, to participate in the first set of games of this inaugural season for the SNYBL. Eight games were played in roughly two hours of gym time, creating an action-packed atmosphere filled with fanfare and “hoopla.” The Intramural Conference is arranged by two divisions, a Grade 5-6 division and a Grade 7-8 division. The younger kids are also known as the ABA, with names associated with the teams  of pre-NBA merger. Their names are the Buccaneers, Cougars, Chaparrals, Condors, Colonels, Conquistadors and Squires. The older players are playing in what might be called the NCAA, whereby Sweet 16 favorites such as the Tar Heels, Bulldogs, Bruins, Tigers, Terrapins, Boilermakers and Jayhawks comprise the division. Parity among the teams was one of the group’s goals and it seemed to have worked. At halftime of all eight games, most were either tied, or had a difference of only a basket or two. Moreover, the organization’s primary goals are to be inclusive to both Swampscott and Nahant communities and open to players of all levels of ability and talent, and to instill the balance of fun and competition. Most everyone could not help but notice there was a great deal of passing, teamwork and helping out each other. And everyone really seemed to enjoy the experience. Most notable was the assignment of the team’s coaches, coming from within the ranks of Swampscott High School coach Justin Fucile’s team. Both coaches and surely the kids seemed to really enjoy the experience. Fucile is fortunate to have young men of such high caliber willing to volunteer their time on a Sunday, even as an important Patriots game was being played. If they would have preferred to be elsewhere, nobody would have known it. They were just great toward the kids, observers said. The coaches play a significant role in all this, not measured in just their knowledge of the sport but in leadership and role modeling. “Whether he made just one good play or 10, who really knows, but all my fifth-grade son Troy could talk about afterward was hearing a big rave from the opposing coach, AJ Baker, as he took notice of one good play he made,” said parent Rob Levine. “I can tell you, he was pretty psyched about that until he went to bed that night. As we introduce into the league young men as good positive role models, one cannot simply measure the immediate joy and lasting memories that simple comments and guidance like that can have on young boys, on their egos and self-esteem. It is huge.” The strength of local volunteerism was visible beyond the high school coaching staff. The Intramural games were refereed by local volunteers, most equipped with the credentials to officiate at much higher levels. Even the official scorekeeping and clock were kept by volunteers that the league will continue to rely on throughout the three-month season. In its inaugural season, the SNYBL has captured the interest of all players across the community. Besides the Intramural program, the SNYBL will have boys travel entries across two fifth-grade teams, one sixth-grade team, two seventh-grade teams and two eighth-grade teams. Girl players from Swampscott and Nahant have also recently galvanized to form a sixth-grade team, a seventh-grade team and an eighth-grade team. League officials say they intended to have a Girls Intramural Conference similar to the boys next year. It had been attempted this year but the numbers were a little low in the initial stages. All players, boys and girls, Intramural and Travel, are enjoying the Monday Night Skills and Drills taking place at the Swampscott Middle School. But the SNYB had its eyes on the on the Intramural program Sunday and the success of which could be measured, in terms of fun and competitiveness, with a little less structure. “We, as an organization as defined, tend to sometimes over-organize for our kids,” Levine said. “We can't help it. We want to give our kids the best possible situation that we can — including refs, uniforms, schedules, court time, the best leagues and everything else. Yet, the intramurals is quite exciting. “While there is still a great deal of organizing involved, our fundamental principle is to be all inclusive for all kids and keep it fun and let them play with less adult control. The end result will have kids playing without all of the typical involvement that they are use to from adults, and they will be brought back to the basics of playing for the sake of just having fun and competing with their friends. “So, besides bringing an awareness to the game for a kid that may not ever have the opportunity to play or who knows, develop some latent skill or interest, the outcome could very well be, after all of this, that kids will begin getting more comfortable with just getting together without any of us, without AAU this or AAU that, and just play pickup basketball. “I would find the program's measure of success to be not only how well it is run, how well we competed in travel, or how well the overall turnout was for our program, but more appropriately, observing the residual affect of just seeing kids at the park or in the gyms playing as much as they can get in by themselves and for themselves. How great would that be?”  

The 5^th Annual Jimmy Myers Tourney is split into different age groups, from third graders through adults.  The fee is $30 per 3-person team and includes t-shirts.  All money raised goes toward sports and recreation programs at the JCC.

Tourney will be coming up on Jan. 16th  @  JCC in Marblehead

For more information, call Andrew Dalton at 781-631-8330, ext 144.

To register click HERE