Select Basketball has announced that the organization will be expanding their youth program to include a 5th-8th grade boys program starting in the fall of 2024. Ryan Kinnaman has been hired as the youth program’s director.
Select Basketball ran a beta program for 7th graders starting in the fall of 2023 to see if there was a need for development of players younger than their current offerings. Based on the success of the 7th grade program, they have decided to expand that offering to 5th grade players and older.
“The 7th grade players did a great job this past year,” said Clint Hordemann, Select Basketball’s Director of Player Development. “The players continued to develop their skills and abilities from day one. The improvements they made were exciting to watch!”
The hiring of Ryan Kinnaman as the youth director was the next step in launching the new program. Kinnaman has been coaching youth basketball in the Treasure Valley for nearly a decade. He is currently the head coach at Victory Middle School of the West Ada School District in Meridian, Idaho where is also works as a paraprofessional. Additionally, he has worked with Meridian High School basketball and was the team manager for the Boise State men’s basketball team. Previously he was the director of the boys basketball program at Elite and Flight Basketball.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to lead this new expansion of the Select organization,” said Kinnaman. “We share the same passion for developing young players in the right way so the players can have the best possible experience.
“Select has been the leader in the youth basketball scene in the northwest for a long time so to have access to their resources, experience, coaches, and operations is going to make this a very special opportunity for young players. I can’t wait to get started!”
The focus of the youth program will be on development. Players will learn what it takes to make it at the next level
“We see a lot of young players and their families get caught up in the hype of doing non-fundamental trainings, traveling long distances to play in tournaments, etc,” said Hordemann. “But at this age, the two most important things a player can do is solidify the fundamentals and grow their love of the game. Players that have those two things can build themselves to an elite level.
“Playing the long game is overlooked because you don’t see it on social media or ESPN. Fundamental videos don’t get a lot of views on Instagram. Nobody talks about the video of the kid doing jump stops and reverse pivots.
“But in the long run, those fundamentals lead to players becoming the best in their sport. Just ask our former players Liam Campbell (St. Mary’s), Kase Wynott (Washington State), Rollie Worster (Nebraska), Nash Humphries (Madison HS), Boden Howell (Owyhee HS), or Rey Johnston (Loyola HS). They all have a sound fundamental base and now they are achieving their basketball dreams.”
Tryouts for the 5th-8th grade boys teams are expected to be in mid-August. More details will be released when they are available.
To receive updates in the future, be sure to sign up for email updates by clicking here.
Updated on 7/2/2024
Registration for tryouts on August 7, 2024, is now available here:
https://selectbasketballusa.teamsportsadmin.com/events/details/camp/8274