Hamilton is a hotbed for basketball in Ontario. Our own local basketball hero’s begin their NCAA basketball career Fall 2014: Amira Gianatassio- Mount St. Marys, MD-The Mount, Christina Buttenham-University of Iowa-Hawkeye’s, Hilary Hanaka-University of Vermont-Catamounts and Kia Nurse-University of Connecticut-Huskies.
The energy this year regarding the accolades of Andrew Wiggins has been invigorating. Of course, my favorite is the front cover of Sports Illustrated [Cover-Story]! This past summer Natalie Archonwa of Notre Dame took some quality time to speak with our young aspiring basketballers [Read full story here]. Toronto will be hosting its very first NBA all star game in 2016 [ESPN-NBA]. Needless to say there is a lot of basketball planning going on in the next few years.
I am very excited to be involved with development and advancement of our young athletes in the future of sports. When some of the biggest basketball advocates offered the opportunity to assist in a new elite basketball program how can I resist! [Blue Star Ontario Brochure-Photography & Design by Aerial Promotions]
Canada Drive is expanding and rebranding as Blue Star Ontario. The new programming and partnership with Blue Star Basketball will provide athletes with unprecedented levels of development and exposure.
Website: http://canadadrivebasketball.com | Twitter: @CanadaDrive | Facebook: CanadaDriveBlueStar
Blue Star Basketball – http://www.bluestarbb.com
Blue Star Basketball is the longest running national evaluation and college showcase organization in women’s basketball. Many of the top AAU programs from all over the United States play under their banner. Blue Star Ontario will be their first international affiliate. The partnership will ensure Blue Star Ontario teams will have:
• Greater NCAA exposure through Blue Star Media
• Increased branding within the recruiting community
• Access to some of the best AAU tournaments throughout the US
• Priority seeding and scheduling for AAU tournaments
• Stronger relationships with other clubs and sponsors already associated with Blue Star Basketball
• Teams will be outfitted in Nike Product
AAU Teams
Blue Star Ontario will offer two types of AAU travel teams every spring and summer.
Blue Star Ontario Elite Exposure will be running teams from 12U-17U. These teams will be focused on developing skills and gaining exposure. They will be attending many of the top USJN tournaments throughout the summer. Please visit http://canadadrivebasketball.com website for the full 2014 schedule.
Canada Drive Elite Development
For the younger age groups Canada Drive will be running teams with a greater emphasis on skill development and gaining experience playing against American competition. There will be teams from 10U-14U with some of the top players also participating on the 12U-14U Elite Exposure teams.
All of the Canada Drive teams will be selected in part by recruiting the best talent available and also tryouts to find any undiscovered talent.
Development Camps
While expanding our AAU program Blue Star Ontario will provide athletes with further development opportunities throughout the calendar year. We have designed several camps that can supplement what athletes are already doing through their club season. We are pleased to announce three camps starting in January. Visit our website for all the details or contact Coach Nate McKibbon nathanmckibbon@hotmail.com with questions.
Last year was a banner year for Canada Drive with several of our athletes accepting scholarships to many of the top American and Canadian universities. Blue Star Ontario looks forward to continuing that tradition and to a fantastic 2014 season. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding our programs.
Richard Nurse, Program Director canadadrive95@gmail.com
Nate McKibbon, Associate Director nathanmckibbon@hotmail.com
Download Blue Star Ontario Brochure: BlueStar Ontario Brochure Design and Photography by Aerial Promotions