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Show & r- 'V f. r f W T(" fort-' A) A K - f r ' f ..4.. v V .a - zzzfr v- v L------ 'J .., - -i ' W'r J1 ; 's. , i , ft i j ! :" f 'T "' "'J!' J,"" ' .,00 : -.-..- I I t 7 Kvervont' in (ho act: A rebound attracts a crowd dm in basketball practice lor fifth-and sixth-traders. In middle school basketball program there's no such thing as second string Double duty: Allen Ancell calls the shots at basketball practice with son IHakc draped around his neck. HI. ike doesn't seem to share his lather's passion for basketball. team practices twice weekly and makes one trip a week to play in a league sponsored by the Salt Lake City Recreation Department. Ancell won't bend your ear about win-loss records or shooting percentages. percen-tages. He's more interested in making sure that everyone is having a good time. "That's important to me and I hope it's important to the kids as well." That's not to say an Allen Ancell basketball practice is a picnic. On one recent Friday afternoon he had his team divided into groups of four practicing layups. Each time someone some-one missed, everyone in the group dropped to the floor for five pushups. And not the kind with the palms Basketballs. There has been some type of basketball program at the middle school for several years. But interest has spread to such an extent that the school now has three intramural programs and two travelling teams. Allen Ancell is quick to stress that he's not running a program to fill the high school with miniature Magic Johnsons. "I don't consider myself a farm club' for the high school, by any means, or I would select my kids differently," he says; "But if it helps, great." Ancell is the physical education instructor at the middle school, and also the coach of the seventh- and eighth-grade basketball team. The touching the floor, either. Fingertips only. "Either they'll know how to do a luyup or they'll have very strong wrists," he smiled. In game situations, Ancell uses the platoon system. One group of five plays the first and third quarters; another plays the second and fourth. "I want to see these kids get an equal chance to play," he says. Helping Ancell coach the team is Jim Fleming, a first-year history teacher at the middle school. While they work with the seventh- and eighth-graders in one half of the gym, Jeff Scott is coaching the fifth-and fifth-and sixth-graders in the other side. "One of my majors at the ' by David Hampshire It's a complaint voiced by a succession of basketball coaches at Park City High School : You can't be competitive if your players don't have the basic skills. The coaches look with envy at towns like Kamas and Coalville where church leagues give kids a chance to learn the basics long before they reach high school. Meanwhile in Park City, where skiing is the king of winter sports, the high school basketball team has been taking a pounding for the past five seasons. But there may be some changes in the wind. The gym at the Treasure Mountain Middle School is alive with the sound of bouncing balls. University of Utah is physical education, and I look at this as good work experience," Scott says, explaining why he works without pay-Like pay-Like Ancell, Scott emphasizes the importance of good, fundamental skills. " W e do a lot of dribbling, passing, a lot of defense ... the things you need at any level you play at . . . what 1 call the monotonous things." He bounces a shot off the backboard. "Wait a second, let's start here," he says to a small boy in front of the basket. "Is this where we are when the shot goes up?" "Okay, defense: block 'em out, block 'em out!" It's a sight that would warm Jack Dozier's heart. |