| Paul Bell is an Anguillan raised in Sint Maarten, who recently moved to the island after several years of study in Holland. Due to the recent birth of his daughter, with wife Mirabelle West, he decided to complete his BS (Hons) Sport and Health Sciences with a concentration in Coaching Studies for Basketball online. Paul completed his secondary education in St Maarten and was involved in basketball from a young age. An avid basketball enthusiast, he transitioned from player to youth basketball coach with ease. Whilst in Holland, Paul worked closely with several of the leading basketball institutions, such as The Dutch Basketball Federation, the Dutch Men’s U16 National Team & UBALL (Utrecht Basketball Development Center) to name a few. Having made Anguilla his new home, Paul decided to give back to the community and share his acquired knowledge and experience through an innovative and basketball-centric program that could benefit the youth and the game of basketball as a whole. With his extensive network of local & international basketball professionals, Paul’s goal is to create a state of the art basketball academy and program here on the island. The Island Hoops Anguilla Basketball Academy (IHABA) intends to make available basketball related events such as an after-school program, leagues & tournaments, put together holiday clinics & camps, individual player & team development programs and training & certification for coaches.
IHABA is committed to working closely with the Anguilla Amateur Basketball Association and the organization’s initiative has been endorsed by the Anguilla Sports Directorate as well as other key local figures in the basketball milieu.
This grassroots basketball initiative, primarily targeted towards the youth, is designed to develop fundamental skills, sportsmanship and a true love of the game of basketball. This Academy was inspired by the efforts of the Anguilla Tennis Academy, a local program that has been in operation for the past 16 years and has yielded great results.
The IHABA wants to support and empower youth in an effort to positively influence them through the sport of basketball. Through its multifaceted efforts, the IHABA will encourage participants to maximize their potential, while promoting basketball as a vehicle to help build character, discipline and self-esteem.
IHABA employs an enthusiastic, skilled, and well-informed team of locals as well as a pool of overseas contributors, who have extensive knowledge of the game of basketball and academic administration. The team members recognize the importance of learning the fundamentals at a young age. More importantly, there is the shared belief in the merits of dedication, hard work, and positive thinking and the IHABA is committed to making each of these ideals an integral part of the programs. As a result of this commitment, young players will benefit from their influence by not only becoming better basketball players, but more importantly, by learning from positive role models.
The IHABA is the local representative of the National Alliance of Youth Sports (www.nays.org), which is America’s leading advocate for positive and safe sports and activities for children. Through this affiliation IHABA is committed to providing quality instruction, not only to the youth, but to coaches and parents, in an island wide effort to promote a unified and positive approach to sport delivery, participation and support.
Basketball is already extremely popular on the island and it is one of the most popular and most viewed team sports in the world. It is the intent of IHABA, through this local basketball initiative, to take advantage of the excitement and interest, nationally and internationally, to provide Anguillan youth with as many positive opportunities as possible, using the sport of basketball as a platform to help achieve this. AIM.ASPIRE.ACHIEVE!
The IHABA will be hosting their first annual 2 week SKILLZ & DRILLZ summer camp from August 22nd to September 3rd at The Adrian T Hazell Primary School in South Hill. Registration for the camp takes place Wednesday 17th August at 4pm sharp at Adrian T Hazell Primary School. Limited spaces available to guarantee quality instruction! Call Mirabelle(IHABA Project Manager) on 476 87 16 for more info or email islandhoopsaba@gmail.com. |
