Fayetteville
Strengthening and developing
youngsters in mind, body and spirit. The
motto sounds simple, but to Arkansas
Athletes Outreach director Brad Friess,
there’s a whole lot more to it than what
meets the eye at first glance.
“We want kids to develop a passion for
the game that comes through gaining a
greater confidence in their skills and
physical development,” Friess said.
AAO is doing that by putting on a
school-based basketball league – the NWA
Basketball League – for sixth-and
seventh-graders with the intention on
preparing them for playing at the junior
high level at their respective schools.
With guidance from high school coaches,
the league is focusing on skill
development outside of their local area
or community.
“It gives the kids the opportunity to
get out of their local town and
experience regional competition like
they will face in junior high,” Friess
said.
“So we give them high-end coaching,
regional competition, the opportunity to
familiarize and learn some of the
systems they will play at their junior
high, and the chance to play with future
teammates.”
The new league offers junior high
coaches a chance to instill fundamentals
before the players ever join the eighth
grade team, said Kent Austell, a former
track athlete for Arkansas and who helps
train young basketball players in the
area.
“The local high school coaches
highlighted the critical skills and
offensive/defensive schemes that needed
to be learned,” Austell said. “The NWA
Basketball League coaches were then
taught how to implement these into their
own teams.”
And so far, it has worked.
“The coaches have been first-class and
have really worked at individually
helping their players,” Austell said.
“Game day is truly a sight to see. It is
a fast-paced, exciting environment. As
the teams have developed and improved,
the competition has become much stiffer.
Many games come down to the wire.”
It hasn’t been short on turnout either,
as more than 400 children signed up for
the league, dividing into 46 teams
representing Fayetteville, Springdale,
Rogers and Bentonville.
“The first year response has been
phenomenal,” Friess said. “We have teams
from every middle school in the area.”
AAO loves the fact that it’s fostering
competition, but at the same time
realizes that’s not all it’s about
sometimes.
“We also want to teach these young
athletes how to mentally approach
competition and develop a mental
strength that it takes to work hard and
overcome adversity or defeat,” Friess
said. “We also want them to learn to be
humble and grateful as an athlete and to
embrace the responsibility that comes
with it.”
Friess like the bright future that is
evident.
“We fully expect this program to do
nothing but grow in the future,” Friess
said. “It will also serve as a model we
can use for other sports.”
