2006 YBN Awards Gallery | New Youth Basketball Network Page

The Charlotte Bobcats and Charlotte Sting presented the organization’s second annual Youth Basketball Network “Play Hard, Have Fun” Awards on March 28 in conjunction with the Bobcats home game against the Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Each Youth Basketball Network member program had the opportunity to nominate worthy honorees in the five categories and a selection committee of Bobcats and Sting front office personnel, including former NBA great Dell Curry, narrowed the nominations down to the 18 finalists.

The finalists consisted of eight boys, four girls, two coaches, two officials and two parents who participated in the 90 member youth basketball leagues of the Youth Basketball Network. The network incorporates boys and girls programs in North Carolina, South Carolina and portions of Tennessee. Selected finalists were chosen from the entire Youth Basketball Network of more than 19,000 players, 2,000 coaches, 500 youth officials and 30,000 parents.

The YBN “Play Hard, Have Fun” Awards took place with an on-court ceremony prior to the game. At halftime, all of the finalists participated in the YBN All-Star Game, presented by Gatorade.

The 2006 winners were as follows:

• YBN Girls Player of the Year: Kaneesha Hemphill (12) from the Greenville Rec Center in Charlotte.

• YBN Boys Player of the Year: Seth Andrews (12) from the Beaufort County PAL in Beaufort, NC.

• YBN Parent of the Year: Kris Rusak from the Park Sharon Athletic Association in Charlotte.

• YBN Coach of the Year: Bryan Duncan of the Salisbury Parks and Rec Center in Salisbury, NC.

• YBN Official of the Year: Anthony Vaughn of the Beaufort County PAL in Beaufort, SC.

Each of the finalists received a medal for their accomplishments, and the winner of each category was presented with a plaque by Curry.

The Youth Basketball Network, in conjunction with the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA, strives to promote healthy participation in youth sports. The YBN “Play Hard, Have Fun” Awards recognize male and female youth players, youth coaches, youth officials and parents who represent their leagues and the game of basketball in positive light on and off the court.

“We are very excited about this year’s group of finalists for all they have accomplished and their representation of the goals of the Charlotte Bobcats and Charlotte Sting Youth Basketball Network,” Ed Tapscott, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bobcats Sports & Entertainment, said. “The experiences we have developed for those worthy individuals will make a long-lasting impression and express that with the right attitude, teamwork and hard work anything is possible.”

To enroll a league in the Bobcats and Sting Youth Basketball Network, please contact Jonathan McIntyre at (704) 688-8874 or jmcintyre@BobcatsSE.com or visit one of the team’s sites at BobcatsBasketball.com or CharlotteSting.com.