AMHERST, N.Y. – On Saturday, November 29, the Daemen College men’s basketball team collaborated with the North Tonawanda Department of Youth, Parks and Recreation to conduct a free clinic for youth basketball players at the North Tonawanda Youth Center, the former Grant Elementary School, at 35 Grant Street in the City of North Tonawanda.
The clinic ran from 9 a.m. until noon and featured three, separate one-hour sessions for children in grades 3-8. Approximately 100 kids participated in the event.
Several players from Daemen’s men’s basketball roster were in attendance to help put the children through drills designed to teach the fundamentals of the game. The clinic included teaching sessions on dribbling and ball-handling, passing and shooting. Included among the clinicians were senior guard Aaron Davis (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) and sophomore guard Jesse Lalka (Tonawanda, N.Y./Tonawanda), both of whom are the all-time leading scorers for their respective high school teams in the Twin Cities area.
“The Recreation Department was very glad to have Daemen College be a part of our youth basketball community,” said Alex Domaradzki, Youth Center Supervisor. “The kids look up to these athletes as role models, and were really excited to have the opportunity to take instruction from them. It’s great to see a local college not only building success on the court but also building relationships within the community.”
“We are very fortunate as coaches and student-athletes to be involved with the game of basketball on a daily basis. For us to use our knowledge and passion for the game, and pass that on to the younger generation is very rewarding,” said Daemen associate head coach Mike Miranto, a North Tonawanda native, who helped coordinate and conduct the event. “We couldn’t be happier about the turn-out that we had, and we thank the Recreation Department for allowing us to come in and do this. Personally speaking, I grew up with athletic programs offered by the N.T. Recreation Department, so it was especially humbling to give back to the community in this fashion.”
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