Scots Basketball club bringing cultural change in sport

The Lady Rocks under-14 basketball team, which has been entered into the Regional District League. Picture: Contributed

It is another accolade for a club which works closely with local schools and then steers the pupils right through to senior level in the club.

Alongside the Lady Rocks, the Gladiator Rocks is a section for younger girls and boys.

Based at St Maurice’s High School in Cumbernauld, club coaches work with primary and secondary schools in and around Cumbernauld, Coatbridge and Kilsyth.

“We go in for a four-week block, get the kids interested, and then provide a pathway to the club,” explained Andrew MacKenzie, the club development officer. “At the moment, we are doing really well and numbers are increasing all the time.”

The Gladiator Rocks is for pupils as young as Primary 1.  “We put them through the drills and make it fun,”  MacKenzie continued.

“This season we have entered under-10, under-12 and under-14 teams in the Regional District League.

Erin Gilbride and Taylor McKeown are both former St Maurice High pupils who have come through the school  system and are now playing and coaching at the club.

Erin is a Scottish internationalist and is currently working with both the Scottish under-18 and under-15  squads.

The PCS award is given to clubs which have devised a cultural change programme developed by sportscotland, the national agency for sport, in partnership with the Winning Scotland Foundation and is designed to teach young people life lessons and skills through sport.

Through a series of workshops, research and ongoing development work, Lady Rocks have helped coaches and sports leader to create a more positive sporting environment for the youngsters.

Lady Rocks started the process by actively engaging with club members to define a new mission statement and objectives for the club which now clearly set out the aim of the club to: “Fully commit to the development of young  people in the pursuit of basketball excellence and  leadership.”