Steve Nash supporting Digby basketball

Steve Nash became a household name when he beat out players like Shaq and Kobe to snag the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. Since then, he's created the Steve Nash Youth Foundation and embraced the nation's youth with a developmental program aimed at creating the next generation of great Canadians - and great people.

The Steve Nash Youth Basketball program is designed to develop players and coaches, but starts children out early enough that they embrace the ideals of good sportsmanship. That caught the eyes of Canada Basketball, Basketball Nova Scotia's Donnie Ehler and Digby's Mike Bartlett.

"It's focused on kids who are just starting the game," said Bartlett. "We get coaches, they go through a training course and for Digby, where there's a lack of coaches, it's good."

The program is for kids aged 5 to 13 and each participant gets a Steve Nash reversible jersey, Steve Nash basketball and a certificate of participation. Local administrators receive instructions on how to set up and run their league as well as coaching manuals, practice plans, and access to coaching clinics. Parents are also given information to help ensure their child has a healthy basketball experience. Team parity and co-operation are highly stressed in the program giving each participant the chance to play and grow their skills.

Although the original program cost was $45 per child, Bartlett's team was able to partner with the Digby Area Recreation Commission, Southwest Regional School Board, Active Kids Healthy Kids and Digby Elementary School to drop the individual cost to an astounding $10 per child.

"There are three schools doing it this year; Weymouth, Barton and Digby," said Bartlett. "We can subsidize 50 kids, but next year we'll try to get the subsidy again so hopefully it'll be 10 bucks again."

The program will run from mid-November through March about twice a month on Wednesdays to avoid conflicting with a minor basketball program on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The program will also develop the local coaching pool, with Basketball Nova Scotia officials coming to Digby Oct. 20 to provide fundamental training. Bartlett said the local coaches will learn to teach things like shooting, defensive stance, layups and rebounding. Bartlett said there are about 12 people committed to the coaching aspect.

"Kids being healthy is a big focus now, a lot of kids are overweight and this gets them out and gives them some activity," said Bartlett. "From a coach's point of view, I find a lot of the kids coming up from elementary school are afraid of junior high, so mixing them like this gets them over that fear."