GRANT Cole is under no illusions.
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A basketball coach for the better part of a quarter of a century, Cole knows the halcyon days the game he loves experienced in Australia, NSW and Orange throughout the 1990s may well never be seen again.
But that doesn’t mean you don’t try.
Tackling a coaching role full time in Orange, Cole will lead the Aussie Hoops and Rock the Rim basketball charge, organising clinics and coaching sessions for nigh on every basketball ability, be it fledging or full blown, in Orange.
“I’ll do it all,” Cole said.
“I can see the need for this sort of stuff out here.
“A lot of people want their kids to be coached and it just hasn’t happened.
“Basketball, for me, is on the incline. It probably won’t get back to what it was in the 90s, but there’s a lot more kids asking about it, a lot more kids know about basketball throughout the area. It’s something that’s taken off.”
Finishing up at his former employers in Dubbo on October 31, Cole’s dedication to the basketball cause will commence on November 3.
He’s tackling the role by popular demand.
“It started out this year, I did the CPL team that played in the premier league and a few people came up to me and said why don’t you coach full time,” Cole said.
“At the time I didn’t think too much of it, but the more people kept coming up and asking me the more I thought this is something I should do.”
And he won’t be doing it by halves.
Already accredited by Basketball Australia, the Aussie Hoops Basketball program will target young players between the ages of five and 10.
The clinic will run for seven weeks for an hour each Wednesday afternoon, commencing on November 5.
Immediately following Aussie Hoops, Cole plans on running training sessions for 11 to 17-year-old kids that aren’t necessarily representative calibre players, but kids that play in local competitions and don’t get any training at all.
“We’ll set that up as well so they can come along to train and learn the fundamentals and basics at a higher level than what Aussie Hoops is,” he added.
Similar clinics are being run in Blayney too, and Cole said “the response out there has been really good”.
Orange Eagles representative training begins on November 6, and Cole is also set to run his eye over each squad this season.
To register for Aussie Hoops, head to www.aussiehoops.com.au