When Andy Schmidt considered organizing a Cleveland basketball program for his son Brayden and other boys and girls in the first grade class, he thought he could recruit enough players for a couple of teams.
“I just asked Rich (athletic director Rich Kern) if I could start something because the kids needed something to do. We figured we would have pretty good interest because last fall we had quite a few kids sign up for flag football.”
But when the first practice rolled around in January, Schmidt and wife Jennifer Schmidt were surprised how many showed up.
“We thought we would have 15 kids, and it ended up being 39,” said Jennifer.
During the initial practices, the first graders mainly had fun bouncing the ball around in the little gym.
“The first two weeks didn’t have a structure,” Andy said. “We had an open gym and let them dribble around and did a few dribbling skills. It was mainly just to see, until we got the sign-up completed, how many kids we were going to have.”
As practices continued, they worked on basic basketball skills: more dribbling and defensive posture. They lowered the four hoops in the little gym to eight feet, so kids could make baskets while learning proper shooting mechanics.
“But mainly we wanted them to have fun,” Andy said
With halftime scrimmages on each end of the floor during the last girls basketball game on February 24, many of the 39 demonstrated their skills in public. There might have been a travel or double dribble here and there and some extra time in the lane, but the young Clippers showed they are well on the way to becoming basketball players.
Besides Schmidt, other parents helping out as coaches were Anne Miller, Matt & April Thompson, Joe Hunt, Scott Rutz and Garrett Brandt.
Andy Schmidt was grateful to Kern for making organized basketball for first graders possible. He plans to organize a second-grade program next year. Once they get to third graders, Schmidt is hoping they will have competitions against other teams.
Since the start of the first-grade program, the Kindergartners started basketball practices as well.
In the past, organized basketball at Cleveland started when kids were fourth graders although sometimes third graders played up.
Above: players in the halftime exhibition were, from L-R, front row: Brantley Thompson, Colby Wengert, Sam Pipal, Liam Baker, Barrett Vogel, Brayden McCabe, Ava Pick, Jace Stoffel and Benny Zimmerman. Back row: Camden Brandt, Sawyer Brandt, Ambriela Linsmeier, Ashlyn Widmer, Payton Widmer, Tony Castro, Brock Pearson, Clayton Davis, Brayden Schmidt and Rook Warling .
Brayden Schmidt is typically throwing or hitting a ball around somewhere, so Andy and Jennifer Schmidt were grateful for being able to channel his energy into an organized basketball program.
Brock Pearson sets up to toss to a teammate.
Brayden McCabe fights for the ball in traffic.
Clayton Davis looks for a path to the basket.
Ambriela Linsmeier sets up for a shot.
Liam Baker looks for a way around a defender.
Ashlyn Widmer takes the ball inside.
Benny Zimmerman grabs a pass.
Camden Brandt launches a shot.
Sawyer Brandt breaks to the basket. Watching the play is Andy Schmidt