Rec Sports

More than a game: youth basketball program thrives in Santa Ana

With decades of history and a growing partnership with the LA Clippers, Santa Ana’s youth basketball program continues to bea pillar of the community—offering quality coaching, character development, and unforgettable experiences to hundreds of young athletes each season. The City of Santa Ana’s Boys Basketball Program, active since the early 1980s, serves nearly 500 youth […]

Published

1 month ago

May 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

With decades of history and a growing partnership with the LA Clippers, Santa Ana’s youth basketball program continues to be
a pillar of the community—offering quality coaching, character development, and unforgettable experiences to hundreds of young athletes each season.

The City of Santa Ana’s Boys Basketball Program, active since the early 1980s, serves nearly 500 youth ages 3–14 each year. Designed to be both accessible and impactful, the league provides a supportive environment where players develop basketball
fundamentals and life skills that extend far beyond the court.

“Basketball brings me peace” shared participant Hugo Garcia, who attended his first NBA game this year thanks to the program.

The program expanded in 2008 to include Jr. Mighty Mite and Mighty Mite divisions for children as young as three years old. In 2015, the Boys Basketball Program was revamped and modernized into the one that exists today with an active Jr. Clippers division thanks to a partnership with the LA Clippers. In 2019, the Santa Ana program was even named a Jr. NBA Program
of the Year finalist. In recent years, the partnership has expanded and now provides uniforms, clinics, camps, and game tickets for
participants.

With the LA Clippers set to return as an annual Title-Level Partners at the upcoming Fiestas Patrias 2025, Santa Ana’s basketball program continues to build community, grow champions, and create lifelong memories for its youth.

2025 Season Highlights

The program emphasizes affordability and inclusivity while fostering a love of the game. Younger divisions focus on fun and
teamwork without scorekeeping, while upper divisions—C, B, and A (Grades 3–8)—compete in a 10-week season that culminates
in playoffs and championship games during the season’s closing ceremonies. Division winners go on to represent Santa Ana in the
Orange County Municipal Athletics Federation Tournament.

2025 Division Champions:

Division C: Team Bulldogs, coached by Fred Olmos
Division B: Team Trojans, coached by Sam Macias
Division A: Team Wildcats, coached by Mark Mondragon

Each player received a jersey, shorts, and trophy. This season, the partnership focused on a larger community impact beyond
just the youth basketball program. The Clippers hosted 3-on-3 tournaments, giveaways, fan experiences, and attended multiple
city-wide events. 40 program participants attended an NBA game at the new Intuit Dome. The LA Clippers even extended
discounted ticket offers for additional Santa Ana residents to attend the NBA game as well. Over 200 Santa Ana residents cheered on the Clippers against the Dallas Mavericks on April 5, 2025!

At the annual All-Star Day in February, held at Godinez High School, the Clippers set up a community photo booth and
more than 140 youth took part in a Jr. NBA Skills Challenge. The event also featured team photos and exciting matchups for each
division.

Additional Program Highlights This Season Included:
• A motivational talk from Police Chief Robert Rodriguez about responsibility and teamwork.
• A Sportsmanship Award, with 13 skateboards donated by Suavecito and presented to players chosen by their coaches for positivity, hard work, and dedication.
• The fan-favorite Coaches vs. Staff Game, a fun, music-filled event at Jerome Center celebrating volunteers with friendly competition and community spirit.

The heart of the program lies in its volunteer coaches—many of whom are former players who’ve returned to give back.

“The youth sports program let me become the coach I never had,” said Coach Andres Morales, who has been involved for 23 years and currently coaches six teams across the boys’ and girls’ leagues.

“What’s taught on the court—trust, respect, loyalty, commitment, communication—can be used in life.”

To support these coaches, the City provides background checks and training to ensure a safe, encouraging environment for all youth.

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Rec Sports

Vogt’s Notes: There’s no lack of summertime fun for kids – Pine and Lakes Echo Journal

We are now a few weeks into summer with kids out of school enjoying their break from the classroom. While the school year offers endless learning opportunities, so does summer with the added element of lots of fun. The list of things to do is nearly endless. You can: Check out your community’s library programs […]

Published

30 minutes ago

June 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

We are now a few weeks into summer with kids out of school enjoying their break from the classroom.

While the school year offers endless learning opportunities, so does summer with the added element of lots of fun.

The list of things to do is nearly endless. You can:

Check out your community’s library programs for kids to keep them reading, learning and having fun through summer.
Take your children to the multitude of parks and splash pads in our area communities.
Splash around in a lake and build a sandcastle at a beach.
Take a walk or bike ride on the Paul Bunyan Trail or through your neighborhood.
Walk the Veterans Trail off Crow Wing County Road 16 in Jenkins Township, or take a guided tour of the Uppgaard Wildlife Management Area on the south side of CR 16 at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays through summer.
Enroll your child in a Vacation Bible School or an area camp. The Lakes Area Music Festival offers an Explore Music! camp the first week in August in Brainerd. There are many youth sports camps going on all summer long; let your child experience a few to find out what they might be most interested in doing.
Take a Wednesday afternoon to participate in Turtle Races in downtown Nisswa. You can’t grow up in the lakes area without racing a turtle!
Try Duck Drop Bingo, a new Friday afternoon event starting June 27 in Pine River to replace the former Duck Races event.
Check out Happy Dancing Turtle offerings for children at their Pine River campus.
Spend a day at a zoo.
Visit a county park. Climb the fire tower at the Paul M. Thiede Fire Tower Park in Pequot Lakes.
Visit a state park for a day or spend a weekend exploring one.

This is just a short list of opportunities for learning and fun in our communities, and all are affordable or free.

Summer should be a time for relaxing and recharging for all ages after a busy school year. But that shouldn’t mean three months of screen time in front of cellphones, computers and TVs.

Get your kids outside. Take advantage of what our communities offer in the form of outdoor activities and fun yet educational programs.

Every week while compiling news releases to publish in the Echo Journal, I learn about cool activities for kids. It makes me wish my 5 year old granddaughter lived closer so I could experience some of them with her.

I have such great memories of my childhood summers that include friends and the outdoors. Whether it was playing creative games in my best friend’s pool, building forts in the woods and climbing trees or riding our bikes around the neighborhood, we were always outside having fun.

I came across this enlightening information in an email from the University of Minnesota. Katie Schuver, a lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, shared why physical activity is important for kids.

“While it might just seem like a way to burn off energy, regular movement plays a powerful role in child development and has the potential to impact everything from physical health to emotional well-being and academic success,” she said.

“Regular physical activity helps build strong muscles and bones, supports a healthy weight and improves cardiovascular health. Additionally, studies show active children tend to perform better in school, as it improves concentration, memory and behavior outcomes,” Schuver said.

Encouraging kids to be regularly physically active at a young age lays the foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases later in life, she said.

So what are you waiting for? Exciting summer opportunities abound for your kids right out your front door.

Nancy Vogt is editor of the Pineandlakes Echo Journal, a weekly newspaper that covers eight communities in the Pequot Lakes-Pine River areas — from Nisswa to Hackensack and Pequot Lakes to Crosslake.

She started as editor of the Lake Country Echo in July 2006, and continued in that role when the Lake Country Echo and the Pine River Journal combined in September 2013 to become the Pineandlakes Echo Journal. She worked for the Brainerd Dispatch from 1992-2006 in various reporting and editing roles.

She covers Nisswa, Pequot Lakes and Lake Shore city councils, as well as writes feature stories, news stories and personal columns (Vogt’s Notes). She also takes photos at community events.

Contact her at nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com or 218-855-5877 with story ideas or questions. Be sure to leave a voicemail message!

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Rec Sports

Heat Can’t Dampen Fun At Waite Park’s Annual Summer Classic

WAITE PARK (WJON News) — The extreme heat this weekend didn’t stop kids from playing some ball. Waite Park Babe Ruth held its annual Summer Classic Baseball and Softball Tournament over the weekend. Paul Habstritt, WJONPaul Habstritt, WJON Paul Habstritt, WJONPaul Habstritt, WJON Over 50 combined teams were in town for the games, and Softball Tournament […]

Published

58 minutes ago

June 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WAITE PARK (WJON News) — The extreme heat this weekend didn’t stop kids from playing some ball. Waite Park Babe Ruth held its annual Summer Classic Baseball and Softball Tournament over the weekend.

Paul Habstritt, WJON

Over 50 combined teams were in town for the games, and Softball Tournament Director Brian Mathiasen says the tourney is fun for the kids but great for the community too:

“It really is a boon for the area. The city does a good job of helping us out as needed, but it really generates a lot of additional traffic through the town. I know that all the restaurants, gas stations, shopping they all want to know when this is going on because it really does provide a lot of stimulus to the area.”

Paul Habstritt, WJON

How long has the Summer Classic been taking place, and how is it run?

The tournament has been taking place for over 10 years, and Mathiasen says a lot of people pull together to make the tournament happen:

“Our association does all the work, it’s all volunteer hours, from our board members, we obviously pay the umpires, but everything is run by volunteers within our association to conduct all this and it’s a lot of work but the kids have a great time and it’s good for the community.”

He says because of the heat they did have an extra emphasis on safety for everyone involved and the kids were still having a good time.

Paul Habstritt, WJON

The tournament will crown three champions in softball and four in baseball, plus runner-ups. The Summer Classic took place at River’s Edge Park in Waite Park Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Paul Habstritt, WJON

READ MORE FROM AUTHOR PAUL HABSTRITT:

LOOK: MLB history from the year you were born

Stacker compiled key moments from Major League Baseball’s history over the past 100 years. Using a variety of sources from Major League Baseball (MLB) record books, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and audio and video from events, we’ve listed the iconic moments that shaped a sport and a nation. Read through to find out what happened in MLB history the year you were born.

Gallery Credit: Seth Berkman

LOOK: 50 images of winning moments from sports history

Sometimes images are the best way to honor the figures we’ve lost. When tragedy swiftly reminds us that sports are far from the most consequential thing in life, we can still look back on an athlete’s winning moment that felt larger than life, remaining grateful for their sacrifice on the court and bringing joy to millions.

Read on to explore the full collection of 50 images Stacker compiled showcasing various iconic winning moments in sports history. Covering achievements from a multitude of sports, these images represent stunning personal achievements, team championships, and athletic perseverance.

Gallery Credit: Peter Richman

KEEP READING: See how sports around the world have been impacted by the coronavirus

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Rec Sports

Bulloch County gears up for GRPA 12U Baseball Championship

Baseball fever is about to hit Bulloch County as Mill Creek Regional Park gears up to host the GRPA 12U Boys’ State Tournament — and the hometown squad is ready to swing for the fences right on their own turf! The Bulloch County Recreation and Parks Department is proud to announce it will host the […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Bulloch County Recreation and Parks Department is proud to announce it will host the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) 12U Boys’ Baseball State Tournament at Mill Creek Regional Park from June 24–28, 2025. Ten teams from across the state of Georgia will travel to Bulloch County to compete, bringing with them families, coaches, and fans— making a significant positive economic impact on the local community.

“We are thrilled to be able to host these tournaments and showcase Mill Creek Regional Park and Bulloch County to others from around the state,” said Dadrian Cosby, Recreation and Parks Director. “It’s a great opportunity for our community to come together and support youth sports.”

Bulloch County will also be represented on the field, with a local team participating in the 12 and under division.

“Our teams played great baseball during the district competitions last week,” said Ronnie Melton, Athletics Division Manager. “We look forward to the boys getting on the field and competing during the State Tournament here on our home turf.”

The community is encouraged to attend the tournament and cheer on all the young athletes.

For game schedules, updates, and more information, visit www.bullochrec.com/statetournament.

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Rec Sports

Former MLB All-Star provides tips for youth sports parents

LSU vs. Coastal Carolina in the MCWS: 1 reason each team will win The Southwest Times Record’s Jackson Fuller breaks down one reason LSU will win the Men’s College World Series and one reason Coastal Carolina will win. This is Part 1 of a three-part summer series visiting with three former major league All-Stars turned […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

This is Part 1 of a three-part summer series visiting with three former major league All-Stars turned sports dads. They offer sports and life advice about how we can make our kids better players, but also how get the most out of athletic experiences with them.

This week: Youth baseball with Todd Frazier, the former heart of Toms River (New Jersey) Little League who has returned home.

Do you have youth sports figured out?

“I think if anybody says they know what they’re doing,” Todd Frazier says, “they’d be lying to themselves.”

These words come from someone who spent 11 seasons as a standout in the major leagues, who was the MVP of the 1998 Little League World Series, who led off its final game with a home run and who recorded its last out as a pitcher.

Today, he coaches his son Blake on the same field of his Jersey Shore township where he played as a kid. He broadcasts the annual championships from the one in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where his team toppled Japan.

He watches fellow dads urging on their players, and he knows exactly how they feel.

“I’m coaching third base, you’re trying to will ’em to hit the ball,” Frazier tells USA TODAY Sports. “It’s the worst. Now, as a parent understanding it, your son’s 0-2 count, we’re in the last inning … as a parent, it’s very hard to distinguish when they’re struggling and when they’re doing well.

“But everybody’s been there.”

How we handle that moment – and not so much the result our kids produce in it – can define our athletic experiences with them.

“There’s no book, so you see these parents, some of them are just out of control,” says Frazier, 39. “I’ve learned a lot over the years. I’ve honed back a little bit, understanding that it’s not the end of the world when your kid does strike out with the bases loaded.”

How do we get to that space with our minds and emotions? Frazier, now a sports dad of three – sons Blake, 11, and Grant, 6, who play baseball; and daughter Kylie, 9, a gymnast – spoke to us about gaining the intrinsic value of youth sports while still staying keyed in and competitive.

We were connected through his “Squish the Bug” campaign with OFF! Mosquito and Tick Repellents. It stresses batting fundamentals and how kids can stay active and intent through organized sports.

‘You’re not getting scouted at 12’: When you’re a kid, it’s the experience of sports that matters

Brent Musburger is on the call. Frazier swings and launches the pitch into a sea of people beyond the left field wall in Williamsport.

When Frazier grew up, there was really nothing around that resembled travel baseball. Little League was everything. Now, in some cases, one entity replaces the other.

“Little League is the best, and I feel bad because a lot of kids aren’t really experiencing it anymore because they’re hearing it from some upper-tier people that say if you don’t play travel ball, you’ll never go to this college and that,” he says. “And I think that’s ridiculous.

“You’re not getting scouted at 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-,12-years old, man; (not) until you get to the big field.”

Everything, in a way, happens in miniature in Little League. The 12-year-old Frazier, who would grow up to be 6-3, was about 5-2. His 102-pound frame nearly floated around the bases after his leadoff home run and leaped gleefully into a dog pile after it was over.

The events of our sporting lives when we are kids, though, are outsized. Sometimes, we think back to them in slow motion. When Frazier looks back, the end of his team’s magical run is icing on the cake to the full portrait of moments his Little League career provided.

In Williamsport alone, he became good friends with kids from Saudi Arabia and Japan. He traded team pins to other players for theirs and he rode cardboard down the hill at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.

“I was telling my wife the other day, my team was the last team to play the last game in Little League Baseball,” he says. “Going to Williamsport’s great, but the memories I’ve had were not only for myself but seeing the kids – so-called not really good baseball players – do well and get like a game-winning hit, and to see the smiles on their faces and the parents how excited they are. Those are memories that are lasting. And my success came from the help of a lot of other people. So did I have the skill? Of course. But you know, you need a lot of help as you move along the way.”

The help starts at the grass roots, back to where Frazier has gone, where our sports journey begins. And it starts with you.

A ‘good’ team begins and end with good parents

When kids set out to play baseball, or any sport, big league dreams bounce around their heads. But as they continue onward, the sensory moments they see, feel and experience in real time move front and center.

They gain confidence in small steps: recording an out by throwing the ball to the correct base; kicking it within the progression of forward motion of the game; moving naturally to the open spot on the court for an open shot. As they get a little older, we are the ones – Frazier even admits to doing it – most likely to overanalyze what’s going on.

“Sure, you lose the game or you’re eliminated, there’s a lot of raw emotion,” Patrick Wilson told USA TODAY Sports in March. Wilson is Little League International’s president and chief executive officer and a longtime member of the operations ranks of the organization.

“But shortly thereafter, they’re being 12-year-olds again. They’re stealing peoples’ hats, trading pins … they move on very quickly. Now the adults, the coaches and their parents, they hold onto it a little longer.”

Frazier and his old Little League teammates had a different vibe around them, even by the time they reached Williamsport. He felt zero pressure.

“None whatsoever,” he says. “And I give the credit to the coaches and the parents as well. I think that’s another thing in youth sports: If you have really good parents, you’re gonna have a pretty good team, whether you win or lose, because you have no complaints. They’re not worried about where their kid’s hitting. And they’re focused on how the coach is coaching and how the kid is getting better each day. And I think that was the big thing for us.”

Ex-teammate Tom Gannon, who would go on to become a police officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told LittleLeague.org in 2018 that Toms River “had no intentions of getting that far. But we had great coaching, we meshed well as a team, and we gained more confidence as each round went on.”

First and foremost, they were allowed to be kids. Think of those first road trips your child takes with a team. There are always a few parents who are sticklers about keeping the players away from pools and amusement parks that might tire them out or otherwise distract them from the “reason” they are on the trip.

But as I wrote to a reader in 2023, these are also moments that can make the event whole for young players, offering them not only memories but release from the moments you want them to be at their best on the field.

“Of course you want to win,” Frazier says. “That’s just the nature of the beast. But are they getting better? Are they having fun? Are they putting their best foot forward?

“It comes with time, and I’ve learned a lot over the years.”

‘Sometimes you reach the stars and you hit the moon’: Don’t be afraid to set grand goals

The idea behind Frazier’s new campaign is to make a hitting drill more enjoyable and relatable to kids. As you swing, he teaches, turn your back foot as if you’re “squishing a bug,” which pops your hips through the zone to help with leverage and power.

Frazier shot a commercial with Blake at Toms River’s Little League complex, where his son is playing 11-year-old All-Stars this summer. Next year, Frazier will coach Blake in Little League as his son looks for his own dream shot at Williamsport.

“It’s a big leap and bound,” Frazier says. “I’m sure he’s going to put his best foot forward. But yes, it’s a goal and I think young kids nowadays need goals, and I think they need to understand: Set your goals high. You want to bat .500 and you bat .400, that’s pretty darn good. So sometimes you reach for the stars and you hit the moon a little bit. That’s still pretty good feat.”

He says, though, he’s never really thought about sports goals he has for his kids. His sons and daughter are the ones developing those.

“I would love for them all to play professional sports. I think that’s the end goal,” he says. “But knowing how hard it is, I tell my kids all the time: bring energy, emotion, enthusiasm, to anything you do, and you can’t go wrong. Practice the right way. Just be you, but at the same time focus. And I think at this age, if you’re focused and under control and not taking any pitches off, you’re gonna have fun and you’re gonna enjoy the moment.”

Frazier coaches Blake in travel baseball when he’s not playing Little League. I have seen them at tournaments in our region. My son approached Frazier and told me how personable and conversant he was with kids on other teams. It’s a approach Frazier has used to improve his coaching.

‘Expect failure’: It’s an opportunity for your kid to grow

We’re back in that situation many sports parents dread: Our son or daughter is up with the bases loaded. When it happens, Frazier now sits back and observes. Whatever happens, it’s a launching point for teaching.

“Come here,” Frazier might say to Blake or one of his other players. “I want to know what you learned from this experience and how we could have made it better, or how you could have done better.”

He feels having a pragmatic and good-natured style is more productive than saying, “What are you doing? Why didn’t you swing at this pitch?”

We want our children to initiate solutions, but to learn to cope with situations where they don’t succeed. Let them fall and pick themselves up, leaning on you only if they need it.

“Expect your kid to fail,” Frazier says. “And I think that’s hard for them to understand, because in the world we live in, it’s the now, now, now … why isn’t he doing it now? Why is he doing this? It’s not their swing, it’s not their hands are dropping, it’s not they took their head off the ball. That’s just the nature of baseball, and it’s gonna happen over and over. And you just got to understand, ‘OK, I can live with it, but hopefully he’s getting better next time.'”

Next week: Chasing success through a high school and college baseball experience

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him at sborelli@usatoday.com

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Brooklyn Nets star Cam Thomas hosts community day in Chesapeake

Brooklyn Nets shooting guard and Chesapeake native Cam Thomas returned to his hometown this weekend to host the first-ever Cam Thomas Community Day, a vibrant celebration of basketball, family fun, and hometown pride. The event, held under sunny skies, drew a massive crowd as local families, fans, and young athletes came out in full force […]

Published

7 hours ago

June 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The event, held under sunny skies, drew a massive crowd as local families, fans, and young athletes came out in full force to support their hometown hero. The day was packed with youth basketball games, outdoor activities for kids, food vendors, and live music — all reflecting the spirit of community and connection that Thomas says inspired the event.

Thomas spent the afternoon signing autographs, taking photos, and interacting with fans. The community was excited to see Cam back in town.

Speaking with 13 News Now, Thomas emphasized the importance of giving back, and says he hopes to make this an annual tradition.

As the event wrapped up, it was clear that the inaugural Cam Thomas Community Day was a slam dunk — not just for the fans, but for the city of Chesapeake itself.

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