NEWHAM All Star Sports Academy ended the year with the Christmas Ball Basketball Camp for the borough’s youngsters, held in partnership with Rokeby School.

The budding basketballers came out in force, with almost 80 youngsters working alongside a team of NASSA coaches led by Kelvin Facey.

They were put through their paces with drill training, fitness training, nutritional and health talks taking place each morning, while the afternoon sessions saw the youngsters put their new found skills into practice, with a series of five on five matches.

An awards ceremony was held at the end of the week, with all in attendance taking home medals and certificates, including Sam Kato from Forest Gate, who was presented with a PlayStation 3 after being named the Christmas Ball’s ‘Most Valuable Player’, while coach Aaron Senior, who triumphed in the coaches’ three-pointers contest, earned himself a pair of headphones.

Following a successful week, NASSA director Natasha Hart praised the high numbers in attendance and was keen to highlight the role the Camp plays to help nurture Newham’s youngsters.

“The high turnout at this camp demonstrates that we are hitting the right chord with these young people and hopefully making a difference both on and off of the court,” she said.

“In everything that we do we try to give the young people more than just basketball instruction. For us the emphasis is about developing the confidence and social skills of the young person, as well as their basketball skills.

“The camp gives us an opportunity to focus on something that is really relevant in today’s society and show young people that they need to make positive life choices whilst also helping to develop their game.”