The Bishop O'Connell boys varsity basketball team spent a Sunday afternoon giving a free clinic to the youth of Howard County at Long Reach High School in Columbia, Md. Head Coach Joe Wootten and his players and coaching staff led basketball players from ages five and up in the fundamentals of the game.

Each varsity player worked specifically with a group of eight to ten boys and girls. Coach Wootten described and demonstrated, with the help of some of the best high school basketball players in the area--like seniors Ako Adams and Randall Gaskins--different finishing moves from the simple lay-up to the more advanced euro-step (something that has become so popular across all levels of basketball). With the goal of giving players of all ages and abilities the foundation and blueprint for on-court success, the group also taught the finer and sometimes overlooked points of dribble moves such as the crossover and hesitation dribbles. These are moves that young girls and boys look to perfect through hours of practice and repetition.

The coaches not only looked to teach the skills of the game of basketball, but also the necessary level of hard work and determination the game demands. The presence of the varsity players gave the kids someone to look up to as a testament of what grit and determination can help you achieve. In fact, at the end of the clinic, a young participant asked one of the coaches if the O'Connell Knights were the best team in the country.

Go Knights!