The Jericho Athletic Association's Travel and Intramural basketball season is in full swing. With over 600 children participating, from first through ninth-grade, and with 12 travel teams competing throughout Long Island, basketball is definitely a favorite sport for the kids in the community.

Jon Gelbwaks, a member of the JAA Executive Board, is responsible for overseeing the intramural basketball program in Jericho. Gelbwaks, along with all of the volunteer coaches, puts his time and energy into the basketball program, which emphasizes sportsmanship along with learning the skills of the game.

A new program offered this year for first and second grade girls and boys is a basketball clinic given by The Craig Robinson Basketball Academy. Craig Robinson is a former professional basketball player who was drafted by the Boston Celtics and became a very successful player for over 18 years playing throughout Europe. The ball size, height of the goals and distance of the free throw lines have been modified to fit the younger athletes. The balls are smaller, and specially designed baskets are used that are set at 8-feet. These simple changes permit the players to develop their ball handling skills and learn the fundamentals of the total game - offense, defense, rebounding, passing and shooting. These basketball players can now learn the proper shooting technique, rather then just throw the ball into the basket.

Joel Sweetbaum, JAA Executive Board member, has the responsibility of overseeing all travel programs for the association. With 12 basketball travel teams playing either home or on the road every weekend, scheduling these games around the intramural program has become a big part of his job. Under Sweetbaum's guidance, Jericho's travel program continues to be very successful and highly competitive.

The goal of the Jericho Athletic Association is to provide the children of Jericho the opportunity to participate in sports throughout the school year, to give them a forum to meet new friends, learn the skills of various sports and to have fun while playing.

For general information, schedules, registration information, visit www.11753.com and link onto the Jericho Athletic Association.