HUNTER COOKSTON
Writer
South Pittsburg Jr. Pro Basketball is on the rise in terms of development, growth, and competition. Rudy Adams has made it a priority to turn South Pittsburg into a strong home for youth basketball. For Adams, it’s all about consistency and continuing to grow the league day by day.
“Developing the youth league will always be a constant. Every day brings about its own unique circumstances but growth comes with consistency in what we’re doing and we couldn’t be more pleased with the community support that’s been shown in these beginning phases,” Adams said.
One of the primary goals for the players is to develop basketball fundamentals that will prepare them for the future. Just as important, Adams wants the kids to learn how to approach the game—and life—the right way.
“Most importantly, we want our kids to use this league as yet another outlet provided within the South Pittsburg community to develop strong character. Along with developing a fundamental foundation within the game of basketball, we want to aid in developing resilient individuals with high integrity.”
South Pittsburg provides a unique opportunity to compete against nearby programs in its first year as a member of the Jackson County League. Instead of playing only against one another, Jr. Pro athletes now face teams from basketball-rich communities that share the same passion for the sport.
“Jackson County offers an opportunity to compete against a multitude of basketball rich communities of which all are geographically friendly to South Pittsburg, well-established, and all organized under one umbrella; providing great competitive atmospheres for both our players, coaches and parents to begin experiencing early within each of our players’ playing days,” Adams told me.
Above all else, Adams is focused on the growth of both the players and the league as a whole. While the future is bright for South Pittsburg Jr. Pro Basketball, the program’s mission is to be recognized for doing things the right way.
“As this year is the probationary year for our program within the league, it would be great to see South Pittsburg as a well-established member of the league who is recognized for both strong character and on-court performance league and community wide.”
Of course, none of this would be possible without community support. Adams acknowledges that without it, South Pittsburg Jr. Pro Basketball would not have experienced the early success it has seen.
“As league administrators, we couldn’t be more pleased with the community response that’s been shown this season. There are so many different groups of people within our community who have supported and made this league go and without them, the product thus far would have little direction for growth. Fortunately, the sky is the limit and all credit goes to the people of South Pittsburg,” Adams stated.
South Pittsburg Jr. Pro Basketball continues to grow each day, providing unique opportunities that will help develop young athletes for years to come. Adams is excited to see where the organization will be in the near future, with hopes of instilling class, character, and athletic excellence in every player.
The league can be followed on Facebook at South Pittsburg Jr. Pro Basketball.