On July 24 and 25, the Junior Huskies basketball feeder program conducted its first-ever clinics at OPRF. The girls took part on the 24th, with the boys going the next day.
“It was great,” said OPRF boys’ head coach Phil Gary. “We had 70-75 boys from grades three through eight, which was amazing. There were 23 girls, so of course we’re pushing to get more. But it’s better than nothing.”
The program’s website is now accessible at jrhuskiesbball.com, and Gary said there’s been plenty of traffic on the site.
“We’re getting way more interest, questions, and emails just because of it,” he said. “It has information on camps and clinics, and we have someone there to answer all questions.”
The program’s next events are a league evaluation day, Aug. 10, followed by fall league play from Aug. 17 through Oct. 19. Games will be held every Saturday at OPRF, and teams will have one practice and one game each week.
“We’ve been getting really good feedback from parents, and the kids that came to the clinic on the first day enjoyed it,” Gary said. “We’ve gotten so many calls and texts from people trying to help coach [in the league].”
Gary also provided a recruiting update on two rising seniors – Alex Gossett and Alex Vincent. Gossett, a 6’6” forward, is getting interest from a pair of Ivy League schools – Brown and Yale, while Vincent, a 6’9” center, has drawn interest from American, Holy Cross, Indiana-Purdue at Indianapolis, Lehigh, Miami of Ohio, Tulane, Wisconsin-Green Bay, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
“They’ve been getting some attention,” Gary said. “They’re really great kids and students, and hopefully they’ll get more offers, especially since I think we’ll have a big year this season. [Gossett and Vincent] will be our leaders; they’ve had great summers and I think they’ll have big seasons. They’re all about the team; I’m going to miss those two when they graduate, so I’m going to enjoy them while they’re here.”