Hiland hosts Transforming Basketball Clinic in Berlin

Last year Brady Schlabach went to Italy to learn some new coaching techniques presented at the Transforming Basketball Clinic by current WNBA Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama, former assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This summer a slice of Italy came to Holmes County, and Schlabach and company welcomed girls basketball players from all around the area to participate in the clinic.

Not only did he invite the players, but also he extended an invitation to area coaches, both high school and college, to learn this new style of teaching and coaching.

Thus, it was with great anticipation that teacher Kerri Kuzbyt came to work with several different groups, working with Hiland’s girls in the morning and then an open session for anyone in the afternoons.

“One of the basic focuses is creating lessons that make learning fun and educational,” Kuzbyt said. “And this is something that is catching on for more than just middle and high school kids. It’s catching on in university and even professional levels.”

She said NBA teams including San Antonio, Boston and Oklahoma City have all been implementing some of Sarama’s teaching techniques and approaches to training and understanding the game.

“This is engaging, it's fun, and it’s not from before when athletes would come into the gym and feel like they’re simply grinding out another practice routine,” Kuzbyt said. “It’s appropriate for all ages because it’s all about problem-solving. We design environments that allow athletes to do more exploratory learning. That allows them to find functionality that transfers into the game. They are learning to solve problems in ways that could work differently for different players. It allows for a lot of autonomy, and that creates the best development and decision-making.”

She said not only are these techniques good for hoops, but also they work for just about any aspect of life.

She said Schlabach attending their camp in Italy last year began a relationship because they saw how committed and passionate he was about learning and initiating the lessons into his own program.

“He was heavily invested,” Kuzbyt said. “He was focused on the aspects of our training, and he had a good grasp on what we are trying to convey with our teaching. We could tell he was hooked.”

Thus, when Transforming Basketball decided to make an American tour, they ended up making stops in Denver, Colorado; Peoria, Illinois; and Amish Country.

Mikayla Poole, head coach of the Carrollton Warriors girls basketball program, brought several of her team members to the clinic. Poole, who starred with Carrollton and later coached under former Hiland legend Dave Schlabach, said she was intrigued at the thought of trying something new.

“I know what the winning culture here looks like, and I got to be a part of that process, so I’m hoping to transfer that to our program,” Poole said. “Knowing the culture here at Hiland and the culture that this new system brings, I’m excited to experience it and see if we can transfer that education and instill it into our girls.”

She said any time players can learn skills that help them make better decisions on the floor and teach them how to approach the game from a thinking perspective rather than a reactive one, it’s going to make a team better.

“This is so interesting and so different that it keeps everyone’s focus on the task at hand while they have fun,” Kuzbyt said.

She said most of the time when coaches attend the clinics, they take back new ideas and training techniques their players have rarely if ever experienced.

Schlabach said while he was eager to have his own players glean from the process, he was just as excited about opening the doors to other teams, coaches and athletes.

“I just want any kid who is passionate about the game to learn more and to be hungry to develop their game, because in the end that’s good for everyone,” Schlabach said.

He said it’s been neat seeing Sarama have instant success in the WNBA’s newest fledgling team in its first season, and having the organization stop in Berlin was a terrific opportunity.

“We’re honored to have them here for three days,” Schlabach said of Transforming Basketball. “The approach they have is so on the cutting edge, and it’s so much fun for everyone involved. It makes kids want to work harder and build teamwork. Maybe the best thing I have learned is that there isn’t always one solution to everything. Every moment in a game and every kid’s experience is different.”

From Hong Kong to Amish Country, Transforming Basketball is living up to its name. Schlabach said it also was fun to watch the group experience Amish Country for the first time, taking in its slower pace of life while immersed in a game often played at a fever pitch.