The National Basketball Association’s longest running youth basketball program will be partnering with the City of Pocatello Parks and Recreation Department for the 2015-2016 season.
At Thursday’s Pocatello City Council meeting, the council voted in favor of joining forces with the Utah Jazz’s Junior Jazz program. The league will consist of children ranging from third grade to seventh grade and serve roughly 1,000 children.
“The Junior Jazz program is a great fit for the kids of this community,” said Brian Lowman, Team Sports Supervisor for the City of Pocatello. “Junior Jazz stresses the importance of good sportsmanship, teamwork, and character development. Those are exactly the type of values that we’d like to instill into our local youth in addition to teaching them the fundamentals of the game.”
Costs to participate in youth basketball will increase from $30 to $40 but will include a reversible jersey as part of the registration fee. It’s an increase that Lowman says will actually make it cheaper for participants in the long run.
“I’ve seen families spend at least $10 for a simple, one-sided t-shirt jersey and $15 or more on a reversible jersey when they’ve had to go out and buy their own,” Lowman said. “Part of the appeal of joining Junior Jazz was the ability to keep the cost down for participants.”
In addition to the jersey, players will also get a Jazz team picture, a participation certificate, membership identification card, and coaches will be provided with a coaching manual. Participants will also be offered a discounted ticket to a Jazz game.