Basketball Program
focuses on Skills
By Johnston Hall
Basketball coach Manoj Nowrang saw
something he didn’t like very much. In
fact, he disliked it so much that after
a WMBA game a few years ago, a light
went off.
Nowrang was unhappy that WMBA
teams weren’t so much teaching
basketball skills as doing anything
possible to win games, including
double and triple-teaming the better
10-year-olds.
When this happened to his daughter,
Coach Nowrang decided to establish a
club program – Edge Elite Basketball -that would follow Basketball Canada’s
Long Term Athlete Development
Model. It would also incorporate
the Positive Coaching Alliance,
Physical Pre-habilitation training to
prevent injuries, Sports Psychology,
accountability and encouraging all the
athletes to train on their own, outside
of practice time.
The program began like any other
program. The difference, however, was
obvious: There would be very little
focus on playing games. In fact, the
first year it was 90 pre cent practice and
only 10 per cent games.
“The reason,” said Coach Nowrang,
“was to focus on skill development and
the mastery of skill instead of the focus
and worry about team strategies and
systems for a once a week game in a
league.”
At the first tryout, Coach Nowrang
explained his philosophy. Not everyone
accepted it. In fact, a group of parents
packed up their daughters and walked
out of the gym before the tryout even
began. But the ones that stayed were
ready to try something different,
something new.
And have these young women
ever been successful. In fact, Kristen
Balness and Vanessa Millions will be
suiting up for the Canadian Mennonite
University. Lana Mackic, Brittanie
Parisien, and Jessica Ruggles will
play at the University of Manitoba.
Standout two sport athlete (Basketball
and Soccer) Hailey Lavarias has signed
Edge Elite 2015 Club Provincial Champions
14 / sportslife
Skylar Nowrang
to play soccer for the University
of Manitoba. Keylyn Filewich has
committed to the University of British
Columbia. Although only in Grade 11
Skylar Nowrang has already been on
visits to universities that are interested
in having her play. Former EDGE
player Emma Gray will be Rowing for
the University of British Columbia.
And there is a strong core of Grade 11s
and some of the Grade 12s who are still
looking at their options for next year.
The focus on practice and mastery of
skill has been the largest reason for the
Edge Program’s success.
The group of athletes that assembled
that year were in Grade 6 and Grade
8. They trained together yearly and as
the years progressed, the ratio moved
from 80 per cent practice to 20 per cent
games, then 70 per cent 30 per cent.
Now it’s 60 per cent to 40 per cent.
The games took place both locally
and at U.S. tournaments and the girls
continued to progress – and, most
importantly, began to have success.
When they were in Grade 7 they
entered their first tournament in Thief
River Falls and finished third and were
happy with their performance.
Each player reflected on the games
and gave their feedback to the coach.
The players’ notes contained what they
thought they needed to improve upon
in order to be successful. A feedback
loop was established to set up the next
series of practices. The players had
ownership of the program.
“The team continued to develop into
Grade 8 and they practiced, practiced
and practiced,” said Coach Nowrang.
“Many of the girls were becoming
the ‘star’ player on their school team.
When they came to play with Edge they