Winter league at W.R. Anderson Center ends with a bang
All of the championship games were decided by five points or less.
For over two decades, Bryant McCorkle, senior supervisor of W.R. Anderson Community Center has brought the kids in the surrounding area together for his annual Winter Basketball League.
With 32 teams in three different age groups, McCorkle says this year was one of the best in recent memory for him. The age groups were 8-under, 11-under and 15-under, with two divisions in the two younger age groups.
“We had a great turnout this year with some great coaches, and our parents were fantastic,” said McCorkle.
Each team played eight regular season games prior to the playoffs. To allow all the kids an opportunity, McCorkle allows all 32 teams to participate in the playoffs where they are broken down into divisions to make the most competitive games.
According to McCorkle, the talent level of the kids in the winter league has continued to grow over the last several years. He says they may have to tweak a few rules for the younger kids because they are more talented than ever before.
“The talent level for these kids is on another level, to be honest,” he said. “These kids are really good and developing at an earlier age than ever.”
McCorkle praised the parents for always packing the gym for the games. He says there were no incidents between the parents or with the referees.
“We try and show the kids good sportsmanship at all times, but it begins with the parents,” said McCorkle. “We stressed to the parents, coaches and players to respect their opponents along with referees.”
The championship games were all tightly contested, McCorkle said. The biggest margin of victory for any of the games was just five points.
McCorkle wanted to express the importance of the coaches in his winter league. He says many of the coaches have been with the league for several years. McCorkle feels their dedication to the success of the kids shows in their performance on the court.
“Many of the coaches that I have came up through the basketball program and they knew what to expect,” he said. “I have some great coaches, which is why I don’t do a coach of the year award.”
There were many sponsors that McCorkle wanted to thank for giving back to the winter league including, The Josh Howard Foundation, The Winston-Salem Police Department, Pam Peoples Joyner and many more.
“It makes me feel good, because if we didn’t have sponsorships to provide this league on the weekends, a lot of kids might be out on the street getting in trouble,” McCorkle went on to say. “You also have to think about the adults that are there that could be out doing something they aren’t supposed to be doing as well.”
The league champions are as follows:
8-Under (Div I)- The Ballers
8-Under (Div II)- The Aggies
11-Under (Div I)- The Cavaliers
11-Under (Div II)- Ibraham Elementary
15-Under- Department of Athletics
