By Eddie Lyons
On July, 2026, PLEAS, a nonprofit organization, hosted a free basketball coaching session at Round Lake Park, Eden Prairie. Kids aged 5 and up attended. The event was led by Wei Wei Ma, the lead organizer for the event, former professional basketball player, and current basketball coach. Alongside her were her son and daughter, Edward and Lillianna, as well as Olivia, a good friend of Lillianna and a member of the Minnetonka girls travel basketball team, playing on the same team as Lillianna.
Edward led a passing drills and basic skill learning station, allowing participants to partner up with friends and familiarize themselves with proper ball passing form and technique. Participants practiced both bounce passing and chest passing in pairs of two. Edward made sure proper form and footwork was being exercised to ensure participants learned something from his station, demonstrating form himself as well as helping correct the form of the participants.
Lillianna led a shooting technique drills and games station, teaching shooting form while incorporating enjoyable games to engage participants. To start, participants exercised proper shooting form and learned the right foot positions, arm movements, and hand placements on the ball. Once they had learned the proper shooting techniques, the participants played games related to shooting.
Olivia led a dribbling technique and skills station, teaching participants the proper forms of basketball dribbling. Starting at the basics, participants exercised dribbling with their right and left hands, knees bent and eyes facing forward. Games such as King of the Court were played, where participants dribble within set boundaries and compete by knocking others’ balls out of the lines.
In conclusion, the basketball coaching session was a resounding success, with every participant leaving satisfied and wanting to learn more the next time.
The PLEAS basketball event, organized and led by Coach Ma, Edward, Lillianna and Olivia, was so much fun and a huge success! Everything was incredibly well organized, with fun, engaging, and educational basketball practices and activities that were suitable for kids of all ages and skill levels. All the kids had a wonderful time learning new basketball skills and techniques.
ReplyDeleteMy kids especially loved the gifts they received at the end of the final game—they were so excited! They truly had an amazing time. Thank you, Coach Ma, Edward, Lillianna and Olivia, for putting together such a fantastic event!
My son participated in this PLEAS basketball event, and he had a wonderful experience! The event was very well organized, and the coaches and volunteers were patient, friendly, and encouraging with all the kids. The activities were age-appropriate and focused on basic basketball skills such as passing, while also helping the children build confidence and enjoy the game.
ReplyDeleteA special thank you to Coach Wei Wei Ma, Edward, Lillianna, Olivia, and everyone who helped make this event possible. It is wonderful to see PLEAS provide such a meaningful and free activity for children in the community. My son had a great time and learned a lot. We truly appreciate everyone’s time and effort and hope to participate in more PLEAS events in the future!