Mackay, who is the performance manager of the national women’s high performance basketball program, will be spreading his wisdom to elite hoopsters on the west coast of the province when he holds a clinic for young male and female players immersed in the Newfoundland and Labrador Basketball Association’s Being Our Best program this weekend at Corner Brook Regional High gymnasium.
Mackay, who designed the new National Coaching Certification Program for basketball across the country, will also be holding a question and answer session with local basketball coaches who want to learn new coaching strategies and tips on how to get the most out of their players.
Brake, a Grade 8 student at Corner Brook Intermediate in his third year with the program, said he’s looking forward to being in an environment conducive to learning from a coach with a wealth of knowledge about the game.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for our program because having a coach come from away we will learn from him a lot and apparently he’s a good coach,” Brake said. “He definitely knows a lot about the game. I heard he was around it for awhile so it’s going to be a great opportunity for us.”
The Being Our Best program, with NLBA western director Tom Stewart coaching the female squad and Frank Foo taking care of the male squad, is designed to provide a training ground for elite players who want to compete for spots on provincial teams and the focus is clearly on skill development.
“I am going to try and make it as far as I can with basketball, but school is most important,” Brake said, noting he plans on trying to make the provincial basketball team in 2016.
Mackay will also hold a clinic in St. John’s while he’s in the province, but it’s the first time in a long time that a national coach has worked with players on the west coast, according to coach Stewart, who believes it’s great to see players from the west get the same exposure and opportunities as those on the east coast.
There will also be a chance for local coaches to ask questions and get tips on a wide range of topics so the focus will be on learning.
“He’s going to be a wonderful resource for coaches to take advantage of,” Stewart said.