Hawks Help Strengthen Basketball Skills of 60 Girls At The Second Lady Ballers Clinc Of The Year

Jackson Caudell | Apr 13, 2024

arlier today, the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Academy hosted the second Lady Ballers Youth Basketball Clinic of the year. The event, supported by Google, took place at Cowart Family YMCA and welcomed 60 girls to participate in the clinic in which girls, ages 8-15, learned the fundamentals of basketball, explored the dynamic crossroads of science and tech and developed meaningful life skills. The Lady Ballers Program aims to empower, challenge and inspire girls to excel both on and off the court, enabling them to rise above the competition.

“Working collaboratively with Google to host today’s Lady Ballers Clinic exemplifies our commitment to providing impactful programs for female athletes to unite for their love of basketball, while also acquiring transferable educational and life skills,” said Hawks’ Vice President of Community Impact and Basketball Programs Jon Babul. “The Lady Ballers Program aims to nurture inclusivity and empowerment, motivating girls to enhance their skills, boost confidence, and forge enduring friendships through the sport.”

The clinic involved Atlanta Hawks Youth Development Coaches, staff and Google volunteers who helped coach and instruct the girls through different basketball stations and STEM activities.

Girls in attendance had the opportunity to learn and develop their basketball skills through the use of different on-court skill instruction such as shooting, rebounding, ball handling, agility, defense and passing drills. Throughout the clinic, Jr. Hawks coaches and volunteers assisted the girls on court with basketball contests. Additionally, the kids built catapults to test and explore physics as they launched tiny basketballs on a miniature court. Later on, participants received prices and giveaways, including a t-shirt, swag bag and wristband.

The Hawks, with the support of Google, announced a new initiative to further strengthen their continued commitment to the community. The Hawks will host an additional clinic next month along with one four-day week of Jr. Hawks Summer Camps, in which girls will focus on building life skills. STEM activities will be integrated into the one-week Lady Ballers basketball camp set to take place later this summer at Northside Youth Organization.

Last month, the two organizations hosted their first Lady Ballers Clinic of the year at Carl E. Sanders Family YMCA at Buckhead where they helped empower 60 girls through basketball drills and STEM initiatives.

For more information about the Lady Ballers Program powered by Google Cloud, visit Hawks.com/LadyBallers.