Jr. NBA Week

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jr-nba-week-drill-6-multi-skill

Jr. NBA Week: Drill #6 (Multi-Skill)

Jr. NBA Week: Drill #5 (Shooting Footwork)

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jr-nba-week-drill-4-passing

Jr. NBA Week: Drill #4 (Passing)

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Jr. NBA Week: Drill #3 (Form Shooting)

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Jr. NBA Week: Drill #2 (Ballhandling)

jr-nba-week-drill-1-dribbling

Jr. NBA Week: Drill #1 (Dribbling)

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The NBA will celebrate youth basketball with its annual Jr. NBA Week, April 11-17. Jr. NBA Week includes national and local events designed to build awareness and excitement for the Jr. NBA and team youth basketball initiatives.

Locally, the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever present Jr. Hoops cared for by Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent and will celebrate Jr. NBA Week with the following activations:

Jr. Hoops Skills Videos			April 11-17
Throughout Jr. NBA Week, @PacersSportsEnt and Gatorade have teamed up to release daily Jr. Hoops Skills videos featuring Fever player Kathleen Doyle and Pacers alumni player Eddie Gill. Videos will include instruction on ball handling, passing, form shooting and footwork, and multi-skill drills.

Special Olympics Press Conference	April 16
Pacers Sports & Entertainment will host Special Olympics Indiana at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 16 to formally introduce the Basketball Team representing Indiana at the USA Games in Orlando June 5-June 12, 2022. The press event will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games will feature 4,000 athletes, 10,000 volunteers, and 125,000 fans, all of whom will unite in the Orlando area to participate in one of the country’s most cherished sporting events. Hosted at some of Florida’s top athletic facilities including ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, The Rosen YMCA Aquatic Complex and Boardwalk Bowl, the USA Games will offer athletes, their coaches and families a week of national competition while surrounded by Orlando’s beauty and world-class attractions.

For the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, Team Indiana will consist of 100 members (51 athletes, 20 Unified partners, 19 coaches, and 10 support staff). Team Indiana will compete in eight sports (Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Golf, Softball, Swimming, Track & Field and Volleyball). The selection process begins with the 2020 Unified Bowling State Tournament and concludes with the 2021 EKS Games.

For more information on USA Games, visit their website: www.2022specialolympicsusagames.org

Jr. Hoops Surprise!				April 21
Indiana Pacers legend Darnell “Dr. Dunk” Hillman will make a surprise visit to the JTV Hill Center and the Indy PAL Basketball program for a Jr. Hoops surprise.

The Indy PAL Basketball Program will receive basketballs and ball racks to utilize during their games, scrimmages, and practices. In addition, each member of the Indy PAL Basketball Team will receive their own reversible Jr. Pacers/Jr. Fever jersey, along with a special virtual visit from a member of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever.

Following this surprise, Hillman will lead the team in a Jr. Hoops Clinic presented by Gatorade, providing one-on-one instruction of the fundamentals of basketball!

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Pacers and Fever Celebrate Jr. NBA Week

Inside the practice court of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it was back to the basics.

But on this Thursday, it wasn't Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo receiving instructions from Nate McMillan and the Pacers coaching staff — it was over 100 coaches from Indiana and beyond, learning the techniques that the Pacers coaching staff uses as part of Jr. NBA Week and the Jr. Pacers program, presented by St. Vincent.

"It gives them an opportunity to learn from the pros, so we've got Nate McMillan and his entire coaching staff here to be able to give them some feedback so they can learn some things and be able to teach them to their kids," explained Richie Smith, the Pacers' Community Relations Manager.

The evening got underway with a question-and-answer session hosted by Pacers radio voice Mark Boyle, which touched upon McMillan's coaching history and the current state of the team with the season less than one week away.

The coaches ranged from all levels of basketball — from youth basketball to elite high school teams, all in attendance to see if there was a way they could better their teams as well as their own coaching methods.

"I know when I first started coaching, drills were something I didn't have, even though I had played the game my whole life," explained McMillan. "But teaching the game is different. So it's an opportunity for us to show them some things that we do, and have them ask questions, and we ask questions as well, to see if we can learn something."

Each assistant coach took turns demonstrating drills that were easy to replicate but had real value for players. Defensive-minded assistant coach Dan Burke showed the crowd of coaches a half court press drill, while assistant coach Bill Bayno taught an array of dribbling moves that emphasized ball security.

As the Pacers coaches taught, the coaches in attendance scribbled notes down for their memory, while some recorded the drills on their phones.

"It's an opportunity to talk basketball and teach the game that you love and really learn from everybody," McMillan said of the clinic. "We have all age groups here, from people who coach little kids, to college kids, and it's an opportunity for the coaches to brainstorm and talk to each other."