The Dauphin Hawks basketball program began its season with some tryouts prior to spring break and some after the annual school hiatus.

There are four teams in the program this year, 14U and 17U girls teams and 14U and 17U boys teams.

Program co-ordinator John Marshall said most of the teams have competed in two or three tournaments so far and are developing well.

“The development has been excellent. We are been playing against really, really great competition. So it’s really helping us to further our skills, dribbling, passing shooting. The basics. Those skills are getting more developed,” he said.

“And we can see easily, the difference it’s made.”

The program started with one 15U team and has now grown to four teams comprised of 60 players. This year is the third in which there have been four teams, competing in a number of tournaments.

The season ends for all teams in mid-June at a tournament in Yorkton, Sask.

Marshall has been pleased with the results, but notes they are not the most important aspect of the program.

“We’re not concerned about winning and losing. Yes, it’s great to win. But we told the kids that it’s development. I keep saying that word to them,” he said.

“But we told them that the skills that you’re refining, that you’re working on in club, when you go to high school, when you’re playing JV or varsity, you’re going to be able to be a much stronger player on the court. When you’re facing so called ‘hard teams’ in high school, they won’t seem so hard because you’ve seen the best of the best in Manitoba.”

Marshall appreciates the time and effort put in by the coaches for each team.

They include head coach Scott Carr and assistant coach Rommel Soltis with the U17 girls team; head coach Josh Marshall and assistant coaches Matthew Marshall and Matthew Angus with the 17U boys team; head coach Nathan Fleck and assistant coaches Kara Vanderheyden and Madeline Hope with the 14U girls team; and Marshall and assistant coach Logan Marshall with the 14U boys team.