University ofโ Regina basketball Clinic Inspiresโ Young Players in Yorkton, Exceeds Expectations
YORKTON, SK – Young โขbasketball enthusiasts โin Yorkton and surrounding areas received a critically โimportant boost to their skills progress this past Saturday, thanks โขto a โฃclinicโ hosted by playersโ from the University of Regina women’s basketball team.โ The event, organized by local parents,โ drew an notable turnout, exceeding initialโฃ projections and demonstrating a growing passion โfor โขthe sport in the region.
The initiative stemmed fromโข a desire โto provide more opportunities for girls in Grades 6-8 to continue playing basketball beyond the school season. Darcy Zaharia, a key organizer and father โคof a โคyoung player, explained, “We wanted to give them more,” leading to the creation of aโฃ club program that extends play into the spring โคmonths. In its inaugural year, the club engaged in competitive matches against the preeceville Express and participated in regional tournaments.
While pursuing the possibility of hosting a full university game at Yorkton Regional high School – a project still in development with Roby Sharpe – Zaharia proactively reached out to the University of Regina โคCougars. The coach enthusiastically agreed to โsend players to lead a skills โclinic.
A SaskSport grantโ helped bring the clinic to fruition, and the response was overwhelming. Organizers initiallyโฃ anticipated 50 participants, but โultimately registered over 75 young athletes. “That’s more than enough for theโค gym,” Zaharia noted, highlighting the broad โฃregional interest, with attendeesโ travelling from communities like Kelvington, Preeceville, and even across the border into Manitoba.
Beyond theโค technical skills taught, โthe clinic offered something arguably more valuable: role models. “The โฃgirls have someone to look up to,” Zaharia โemphasized, recalling the impact a visit from Saskatchewan Roughrider Bobby jurasin had on him as a child. “I wanted to be bobby Jurasin for football.”
The hope is that this exposure will inspire the young players to continue pursuing their basketball dreams, both within their school programs and through club participation. The University ofโ Regina clinic wasn’t just about drills and plays; it was about igniting a passion and showing these young โฃathletes what’s possible.
Keywords: โ Yorkton, Saskatchewan,โฃ Basketball, โUniversity of Regina cougars, Youth Sports, SaskSport, Clinic, Role Models, Women’s Basketball, Sports Development.