Retired Wildcats star Matty Knight has spent some time at the Northam Recreation Centre to help run basketball clinics with local children.
Run through Winning Edge Academy, Knight guided Northam children through drills, warm up and basketball skills over the two, day long clinics.
The clinic was deemed a success with organisers saying the children attending were enthusiastic, hard working and had a lot of fun on the court.
Winning Edge staff member Tom Lowndes, who help run the Northam events said the experience Knight is able to share with the children is invaluable.
“It’s cool kids can have someone like Matty as a role model,” he said.
“Not only a role model, but to have the experience he has from playing in the NBL and able to give that straight to the kids.
“These kids would usually be playing their junior competitions and have their dad coaching, which is awesome for the community but often they’re learning the same things over and over again.
“The interaction with someone who played the sport professionally is great.”
Lowndes said he has seen some differences between children from the country and those from Perth that Winning Edge Academy usually coach.
“Everyone wants to have a go,” he said.
“In the city some kids want to be there more than others where as you come out to the country and all the kids want to get involved.
“There are kids of all abilities here today but they’re all accepting of each other and help each other out.
“The kids are really enjoying themselves out there and that is what we want out of today.”
Winning Edge Academy is a children’s sports academy with the aim of adding professionalism and an elite feel.
They run general fitness sessions for children of all abilities and also run training for AFL, basketball, netball and cricket.
Leading up to the basketball camps at the Northam Recreation Centre were two camps at Margaret River Recreation Centre with two more at Corpus Christi College in Perth.
Winning Edge Academy now head to the Irwin Recreation Centre in Dongara for the final two basketball camps for the school holidays.
It is the second year the academy has come to Northam with a Wildcats star to share some tips with local children.
Lowdnes said the success of the last two years makes it likely that future Winning Edge camps will take place in Northam.