Thursday, March 28th, 2024 Church Directory
EIGHT YEAR OLD MITCHELL MINER (above) put his skills on display as he weaved his way through obstacles as one of the drills associated with participating in the youth basketball program.
CORY NUEST (background in striped shirt) looks on as a group of third and fourth grade girls played three-on-three basketball during Saturday’s season-ending tournament in Becker.

Youth Basketball Program Growing In Just Its Second Year

For the second year in a row, a large contingent of volunteer coaches and referees gathered nearly 70 boys and girls from grades three and four in the Becker Fieldhouse Saturday morning to hold an in-house youth basketball tournament and instruction event.

And for the second year in a row, it was a smashing success.
 
Last year, Cory Nuest, along with his wife Shannon, Chris Harmoning, Brent Scheideman, Danny Yoerg and Hokan Bengtson, set the program in motion after learning that third and fourth graders interested in the sport had very few options to get involved. Many of the youths had to sign up for a traveling team and that usually entailed a couple practices a week and tournaments on the weekends.
 
Nuest and his entourage wanted things handled differently, so they formed this new program through the Becker Youth Basketball Association (BYBA) and formed a 12-week league that concluded their “season” last weekend.
 
“This year, our goals were the same, but we added an additional — but optional — week-night practice for the teams at each grade level to provide an opportunity to work on those core basketball skills and fundamentals,” said Harmoning. “We also encouraged the teams to consider playing in a few ‘travel’ tournaments or games after the in-house season ended.”
 
Nuest, Harmoning and company had as many as 25 adults volunteering their time and talents to the program that included 12-16 helpers per week. They also recruited help from some of the Becker Bulldog varsity boys and girls teams to rub off some of their skills and habits on the third and fourth graders.
 
Parents end up paying $75 per player, plus a $25 deposit for a jersey. The fee also includes entry into the BYBA tournament.
 
Nuest played in high school (Hancock) and in college (University of Northwestern in St. Paul) and he has been involved in coaching youth basketball in Becker for the past 5-6 years.  Harmoning played in high school (Annandale) and in college (Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter) and has been involved in coaching youth basketball in Becker since 2001.
 
Anyone interested in participating or helping can contact Cory Nuest at coryn@firstmnbank.com or Chris Harmoning at charmoning@gmail.com. Additional information is available online at beckerbasketball.com by clicking on the tab for Youth Programs: In-House League.  
 
Registration for next season will likely begin in late-September 2014.