OKLAHOMA CITY, Thursday, March 19, 2009 – In January, the Thunder partnered with the City of Oklahoma City’s Parks & Recreation Department to form the Thunder Youth Basketball League. The six-week league season concludes this Sunday with All-Star festivities at Woodson Gym in Oklahoma City. Rumble the Bison and members of the Thunder Girls will be on hand.
The league consists of 665 boys and girls from the ages of 5-11. The 60-team league played the games at three Oklahoma City venues: Woodsen Gym, Municipal Gym and the Macklanburg Center. The league was non-competitive, and score was only kept for the older children. The league’s main focus was on basketball fundamentals with additional focus on three main priorities: character, teamwork and integrity.
“The Thunder Youth Basketball League has been a great success,” said Thunder Director of Community Relations Christine Berney. “We’re so happy with our partnership with the OKC Parks department, and we know this was the right decision to create this partnership. We hope to continue to enrich the lives of Oklahoma City’s youth for many years to come with the Thunder Youth Basketball League.”
Of the 60 teams that competed in the league, 10 were selected to play in this Sunday’s All-Star games. At the end of each game, an MVP will be awarded for each team. There will also be a Thunder Spirit Award given to a member of each of the 60 teams in the league. The Thunder Spirit Award is given to the child who showed team spirit, sportsmanship and who consistently exemplified the values of the Thunder Youth Basketball League. Those 60 winners will be treated to the Thunder game on Sunday, April 5 vs. the Indiana Pacers. They will have the opportunity to sit courtside during pre-game warm ups, and will get their photographs taken after the game on the court with Thunder players.