Basketball for All: Jr. Knicks Youth Training Clinics, 3 vs 3 Tournaments & More

March is the most exciting time of year for basketball fans, and millions of people across the world visit the YMCA each year for the physical, mental and social benefits of the sport. Did you know basketball was invented at the Y? To celebrate, the Y is hosting several basketball themed events, training sessions and tournaments in March, so everyone can get in on the action!

BOOKS & HOOPS

Introducing, Books & Hoops, in partnership with the Summit Public Library, this monthly event is created for our 7th Grade Initiative members to discuss books that the students are reading either in class or on their free time and play different basketball games like HORSE, knockout and pickup etc. Snacks and drinks will be provided and a raffle at the end of the school year for students who attend more than 60% of the sessions.

4TH TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH | 3:30-5:00 PM
SUMMIT YMCA
FREE

Program questions? Please contact: Valeria Tenreiro, Sr. Health & Wellness Director at (908)273-3330 or valeria.tenreiro@thesay.org

FAMILY BASKETBALL NIGHT

Join us for a night of open basketball, a variety of knockout games, fun and prizes for the whole family. Open to all. Non-members welcome. Pre-registration is required.

MARCH 17 | 5:30-7:30 PM
BERKELEY HEIGHTS YMCA
FREE

SIGN UP

Event questions? Please contact: Allison Zeimann, Youth & Sports Director at (908)273-3330 EXT. 1196 or allison.zeimann@thesay.org

MARCH MADNESS TEEN 3V3 TOURNAMENT

The Summit YMCA has its own version of March Madness for teens! High School and Middle School students can join in the fun for some healthy competition in the Annual 3 vs 3 Basketball Tournament at the Summit YMCA! Grab a group of three and compete for the revered title! Champions receive trophies and a place in the 3 vs 3 Basketball Tournament Hall of Fame! Have an awesome shot? Show off your skills in our with 3-Point Shot, Dunk and Half-Court Shot contests. Open to all. Non-members welcome. Pre-registration is required.

MARCH 24 & 31 | 6:30-9:30 PM
SUMMIT YMCA
$10 PER TEAM

LEARN MORE

Event questions? Please contact: Trevor Cromwell, Director of Youth & Teens at (908)273-3330 or trevor.cromwell@thesay.org 

BASKETBALL FOR ALL

In partnership with the Berkeley Heights Diversity Council, to encourage diversity, equity and inclusion in sports and our communities, the Berkeley Heights YMCA invites you to join us Saturday, March 25, for a full day of basketball welcoming all ages, skill levels, genders, cultures, and abilities. This free event is open to everyone in the community. The morning kicks off with Youth Basketball Training Clinics provided by the Jr. Knicks. In the afternoon, we are hosting the 3x3 Equity Tournament for adults with mixed teams.

Both on and off the court, the Y's history is rooted in working side-by-side with our neighbors to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. At the Summit Area YMCA we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which our four core values — responsibility, honesty, caring, and respect — are weaved into everything we do. 

MARCH 25 | 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
BERKELEY HEIGHTS YMCA
FREE

EVENT SCHEDULE:

Jr. Knicks Youth Basketball Training Clinics (Ages 5-14)
Learn the basic skills and rules of the sport, while also focusing on the important values of sportsmanship, teamwork and more. Clinics are designed for players to develop and fine tune their fundamental basketball skills with a focus on game rules, shooting, passing, and ball handling. Provided by the Jr. NY Knicks association. 

• 10:00 AM - AGES 5-7
• 11:15 AM - AGES 8-10
• 12:30 PM - AGES 11-14
  
  

REGISTER

Shoot Your Shot (All ages)

Good old fashioned game of H-O-R-S-E where players take turns attempting unique and/or difficult trick shots. 2-5 players per hoop. If a player makers a shot, the next player must attempt the exact same shot. If a player fails to make the prior shot, they get a letter added until on spells HORSE. The last player remaining that does not spell "HORSE" wins.

• 1:45 PM - ALL COURT HORSE

3x3 Equity Tournament (Ages 18+)
To promote equity and inclusion, players will be drafted onto mixed teams created by the YMCA based on varying ages and skill levels. Games are played on a half court. Each game will be to 21 points or 10-minutes long. Teams score 1 point per basket & free throws, 2 for outside the arc. The team with the best record at the end of the tournament wins. 

• 2:30 PM - TOURNAMENT STARTS
• 4:00 PM - WINNER'S CIRCLE
  
  

REGISTER

To enter our facilities, all guests are required to sign a participation waiver (a parent/guardian must complete the waiver for minor participants under the age of 18). The waiver only has to be completed once and is available online at www.thesay.org/waiver. 

BASKETBALL FOR ALL EVENT IS PROUDLY HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Event questions? Please contact: Allison Zeimann, Youth & Sports Director at (908)273-3330 EXT. 1196 or allison.zeimann@thesay.org

DO YOU KNOW The Origin of Basketball BEGAN AT the YMCA

In 1890, a Canadian farm boy named James Naismith moved to Massachusetts to attend the YMCA International Training School (later known as Springfield College). A year later, he became a faculty member, and the Y asked Naismith to invent a new game that would be interesting, easy to learn and easy to play indoors in the winter.

Naismith, at the time, had been assigned a “class of incorrigibles,” a group of young men completely uninterested in exercise. After his attempts to modify soccer and football failed miserably, Naismith looked deeper into the philosophy of sports until he came up with a few essentials for a new game: a ball and two goals.

Eventually, he settled on a soccer ball, since smaller balls required equipment to handle. To cut down on the roughness inherent in other contact sports, Naismith decided to make it illegal to move with the ball, thus establishing the teamwork-based techniques of passing, as well as a nonviolent defensive framework based on intercepting passes. For goals, Naismith asked the building superintendent for a pair of boxes, but the closest things available were peach baskets. And so, “Basket Ball” was born. A game with only 13 rules that Naismith wrote on a scratchpad in less than an hour.



The score of the first game on December 21, 1891 was 1-0 as Naismith hadn’t thought to cut out the bottoms of the peach baskets just yet so someone had to climb a ladder to claim the ball. But the game was a success from the start and word spread. Within a few days, the class was attracting a crowd. Teachers from a nearby girls school asked the Y to organize a girls team. A newspaper reported it as “an uproarious game accompanied by much yelling.” 

In 1936, basketball became an Olympic sport. In 1946 the NBA was founded. Today, James Naismith would be amazed at what his game has become; one of the most popular sports in the world, thanks in to those original innovators at the YMCA and athletes who inked their names in history by changing the game like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Lebron James and Stephen Curry. Without Naismith, terms like “March Madness,” and “Final Four” would not be part of America’s collective vocabulary.

More than just a great way to stay in shape, basketball fosters youth development and social responsibility by emphasizing teamwork, communication and good sportsmanship. 

The Summit Area YMCA has basketball programs for all ages and levels. We teach the basic skills and rules of the sport, while also focusing on the important values of sportsmanship, teamwork and more. Join a clinic and improve your skills, join a league to compete and unleash the basketball star inside you or shoot some hoops and enjoy a friendly game with other members during open gym!

EXPLORE

SUMMIT AREA YMCA

BERKELEY HEIGHTS YMCA | SUMMIT YMCA | THE LEARNING CIRCLE YMCA

In 1886, we were founded as the Young Men's Christian Association, but today, we are The Y. An association that values and is made stronger by, its diverse people. We stand for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility — For a better us. We are committed to creating equal opportunity for all regardless of gender, age, disability, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which our four core values — responsibility, honesty, caring, and respect — are integral to everyday operations.

Each year, as one of the areas’ leading 501(c)3 charitable organizations, the Summit Area YMCA serves more than 15,000 individuals with our free and fee-based programs and services in an area spanning the New Jersey communities of Berkeley Heights, Gillette, Millburn, New Providence, Short Hills, Springfield, Stirling and Summit. Our history is rooted in working side-by-side with our neighbors to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Through the generosity of our members, donors, and partners, we are able to offer financial assistance for our programs and services to those in need.