The Eastern Youth Basketball League just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their participation this season. We were incredibly pleased with how the season went.
Our goal was to give every student at Eastern who wanted to play basketball an opportunity to learn the game and compete and to do so close to home—without a lot of travel or a large financial commitment. In doing that, we were also fortunate to provide opportunities for kids from several other schools, and we’re thankful they chose to be part of our league as well. We were able to give over 140 K-6 students an opportunity to practice typically, twice a week, and play 18 games with different teammates every weekend over the course of the season, all at Eastern Elementary.
We also wanted to support our players and coaches who participate on other Eastern youth basketball teams by helping with entry fees and other costs, allowing them the opportunity to play even more. We had Eastern teams competing in multiple other leagues throughout the year with multiple championships, and we still have teams participating in leagues and upcoming tournaments. We encourage any coaches or players from our league who are interested in entering teams in the Eastern Best of the Nest tournament or any other upcoming tournaments to reach out to Chris Carroll or myself—we will make sure the entry fee is covered.
We believe the more games and practices our kids are able to participate in, the better—not just from a basketball standpoint, but from a physical and mental health perspective as well. The lessons learned through basketball extend far beyond the gym. I say this often, but our students at Eastern who participate in extracurricular activities like basketball, band, archery, and others consistently show better grades, better attendance, and fewer discipline referrals than those who do not participate.
So thank you to the families, volunteers, and community members who support these kids and give them these opportunities. Giving these young people the opportunity to grow and engage matters more than you may realize.
Finally, if you still have a league jersey, please return it to the Eastern Elementary Office—they are expecting them.
Thank you again to everyone who helped make this season possible.
Nick Dettwiller
Superintendent
Eastern Local Schools
