Basketball coaches for high schools, the Optimist Club, and parks and recreation, will have a golden opportunity to learn basketball pointers, techniques and strategies from some of the best pro and college coaches.
Legendary high school basketball coach Shaky Rodriguez has organized a basketball symposium and clinic and invited an all-star coaching line-up that includes former Orlando Magic and Miami Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy and University of South Carolina head coach Frank Martin.
The event, sponsored by South Florida Children Charities, is scheduled for Saturday, October 26 at Mater Academy, 7901 N.W. 103rd Street. Rodriguez, who coached Miami High to five state titles and last coached Krop Senior High School, said the clinic will feature a series of coaches who will educate coaches on how to prepare their team to play, with pointers on defense, offense and how to motivate their players.
Van Gundy spent twelve years with the Miami Heat organization, beginning as an assistant coach to Pat Riley in 1995 and became head coach during the 2003-2004 season. He resigned in 2006 and Pat Riley took over the helm again and led the Heat to its first NBA World Championship.
Van Gundy returned to coaching and led the Orlando Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Martin, an FIU graduate, was named head men's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina in 2012.
He became the 32nd head coach in the history of the South Carolina program, which enters its 105th season as a varsity sport in 2012-13. Martin spent the previous five seasons as the head coach at Kansas State University, leading the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament four times, including a trip to the Elite Eight during the 2009-10 campaign when the squad won a school-record 29 contests. Martin's Wildcats won at least 21 games in each of his five seasons at the helm, compiling a record of 117-54 (.684).
During that time, Kansas State posted a 50-32 (.609) record in Big 12 Conference games, finishing fifth or higher in each season, while finishing third or higher three times. Martin was the first Wildcat head coach to post a 20-win season in each of his first five seasons and the first coach to guide the school to the postseason in his first five years at the helm.
In all, Martin has helped coach four All-Americans since he became coach in 2007.
For more information about the event and time, call 305-310-4582.