Jr. Pro Basketball and Cheerleading in full swing

Sun, 01/19/2014 - 2:54pm — Diane Dyer

The love of basketball has been a Butler County tradition for many years, and that love is being taught early through our county's Jr. Pro program. Every Saturday from December through March one of the elementary schools is packed with cheering parents and enthusiastic kids learning the fundamentals of basketball.

Under the direction of head middle school basketball coach, Cody Donaldson, students from grades kindergarten through sixth are working on building the foundations for our middle and high school basketball programs. Around 40 kindergarten through second grade students gather in the gym from 8 to 9 each Saturday to work on drills the first half then scrimmage and get some real game experience the last half.

After that, the competition heats up just a bit as six third and fourth grade teams play each other. The third and fourth grade division consists of four Morgantown Elementary and two North Butler Elementary teams. This level has approximately 40 students actively participating.

The day rounds out with fifth and sixth grade games. This division consists of four teams, three Morgantown Elementary teams and one North Butler Elementary team. On the sideline of each game there is an abundance of young cheerleaders cheering on their respective teams.
The Jr. Pro experience will finish for the year on March 1st with a single elimination tournament. Coach Donaldson, who has been the Jr. Pro coordinator for five years, says of this years' program, "I am glad to see such a great turn out this year, and I am excited for the upcoming seasons at the middle school."