H.W. Byers Boys Basketball Fund
Donation protected
In January, I took over as the head coach of the H.W. Byers basketball program. This is a dream come true for me and I look forward to inspiring my current basketball players as well as many in the future.
The problem is the program is grossly underfunded. Our weight room has no dumbbells, no pull up or dip apparatus, and no weight machines (leg press, leg curl etc.) It features only two benches, one free squat rack, and one assisted squat rack, which is not nearly enough to produce a quality basketball team. The school currently has 92% of its students on a free or assisted lunch program, but the kids here are well-meaning and love playing the game of basketball.
The basketball locker room is also in disarray. When I came the walls were painted 3 different colors, the sink didn't work and there was a stall door just randomly situated in the middle of the locker room. Even calling it a locker room is questionable because there aren't any lockers. It's just a room with chairs where the boys get dressed for the game. I put up some basketball posters and bought cutouts of basketballs that I wrote the players names and numbers from this past year and put those on the wall as well.
The training supplies are dismal as well. We only have two baskets in the gym, and about 10 basketballs. We also have a medicine ball that I bought to work on core strength.
The players are extremely talented and athletic and more than a couple of them could end up playing basketball at a collegiate level, but they still need to devlopment fundamental skills, and few can afford to play AAU ball which is where most college coaches scout players from. The area is so poor economically that I have a washing machine and dryer in the gym and buy laundry detergent to wash the uniforms. The kids don't take them home to wash them because few have washers and dryers.
Before I fix any of that, I first have to pull the team out of finacial ruin. The previous coach left the team $2000 in debt. I'm as astounded as anyone that this was allowed to happen, but it just represents another challenge I have to work though with my team.
The program hasn't been to the state semi-finals in 11 years, and my goal is to get the team this year, but we need your help. With your donation, I plan on buying weight supplies so the players can get in better physical shape. I'd then like to redo the locker room, possibly getting lockers for the kids and doing something about the paint. Finally, I'd like to buy supplies, like dribbling goggles or weighted basketballs, to help the kids develop better fundamentals. I hope to use any other donations to do team building exercises with the team in the fall.
I greatly appreciate any support! I'm so thankful for any donation you give!
The problem is the program is grossly underfunded. Our weight room has no dumbbells, no pull up or dip apparatus, and no weight machines (leg press, leg curl etc.) It features only two benches, one free squat rack, and one assisted squat rack, which is not nearly enough to produce a quality basketball team. The school currently has 92% of its students on a free or assisted lunch program, but the kids here are well-meaning and love playing the game of basketball.
The basketball locker room is also in disarray. When I came the walls were painted 3 different colors, the sink didn't work and there was a stall door just randomly situated in the middle of the locker room. Even calling it a locker room is questionable because there aren't any lockers. It's just a room with chairs where the boys get dressed for the game. I put up some basketball posters and bought cutouts of basketballs that I wrote the players names and numbers from this past year and put those on the wall as well.
The training supplies are dismal as well. We only have two baskets in the gym, and about 10 basketballs. We also have a medicine ball that I bought to work on core strength.
The players are extremely talented and athletic and more than a couple of them could end up playing basketball at a collegiate level, but they still need to devlopment fundamental skills, and few can afford to play AAU ball which is where most college coaches scout players from. The area is so poor economically that I have a washing machine and dryer in the gym and buy laundry detergent to wash the uniforms. The kids don't take them home to wash them because few have washers and dryers.
Before I fix any of that, I first have to pull the team out of finacial ruin. The previous coach left the team $2000 in debt. I'm as astounded as anyone that this was allowed to happen, but it just represents another challenge I have to work though with my team.
The program hasn't been to the state semi-finals in 11 years, and my goal is to get the team this year, but we need your help. With your donation, I plan on buying weight supplies so the players can get in better physical shape. I'd then like to redo the locker room, possibly getting lockers for the kids and doing something about the paint. Finally, I'd like to buy supplies, like dribbling goggles or weighted basketballs, to help the kids develop better fundamentals. I hope to use any other donations to do team building exercises with the team in the fall.
I greatly appreciate any support! I'm so thankful for any donation you give!
Organizer
Brian Frenzel
Organizer
Holly Springs, MS
