Our mission is to teach young athletes to play basketball at a highly competitive level. We believe in giving them a firm foundation in the many individual skills required to be a strong basketball player. Equally important, our coaches teach their players to use these skills effectively as a team. While our goal is to field teams that can compete at the regional and national level, we also field developmental, local area teams. Most importantly, players at every level consistently demonstrate continued improvement over time.
Of utmost importance in achieving our mission for our youth members is that we focus on the development of our youth members as individuals and as a team. The Classics Basketball program emphasizes three core principles - teamwork, character development, and personal fitness - to achieve the mission. Our AAU team program aims teach young women and men the importance of teamwork by learning to meet, develop relationships, and work with new people in their lives to achieve excellence on the court - something that will be important throughout life. Character development occurs through good sportsmanship and ambassadorship in representing their club to the community through our community service programs, and in regional and national competitions. Personal fitness both physical and mental is developed through the medium of competitive youth basketball requiring maintaining a healthy lifestyle along with physical and mental fitness through practices and competitions and maintaining academic performance. (Players who do not maintain all passing grades in school, may be asked to take time off from basketball to focus on their academics depending on the individual player and family situation.)
Parents have a significant role to play in the Classics Basketball organization. We encourage open communication between parents and coaches, to help ensure that concerns about their child are appropriately addressed. In addition, the Classics Basketball Board of Directors is made up of parents, coaches, and other members of the local sports community. Parents make a vital contribution to maintaining and improving our organization. We also understand that parents have many demands on their time and energy. For this reason, the organization does not sponsor numerous tournaments or engage in extensive fund-raising activities requiring parents and girls to volunteer their time and effort off the basketball court, other than our mandatory community service activities. Organization-wide expenses are met through a season membership fee. Each team generally funds its own operations by paying for gym time, uniforms and equipment through direct family assessments and fundraising activities.
As a member of the Potomac Valley Athletic Amateur Union (PVAAU), we also subscribe to the mission and vision of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU): “To offer amateur sports programs through a volunteer base for all people to have the physical, mental, and moral development of amateur athletes and to promote good sportsmanship and good citizenship. To offer amateur athletes volunteer opportunities to develop to their highest level through a national and local network of sporting events. Through participation in AAU, we achieve our dreams as athletes and as valued citizens of our communities.”
OUR HISTORY - FOCUS ON YOUTH
In 1971, Dr. Jerry Gardner selected the first team of girls from Montgomery County, Maryland, to compete in the Potomac Valley AAU tournament. This 12-and-under team not only won the regional tournament, but also went on to win the nationals-making them the best in the nation!
Five years later, this core of parents and coaches led by Mimi Keister, formed the Classics Girls Basketball organization, to provide talented female basketball players the opportunity to play on select teams. Since their inception, Classics Basketball teams have competed successfully at the local, regional and national levels. In 1998-9, some members split off from Classics Basketball to form the Maryland Flames, a for-profit entity. At that time, Classics Basketball renewed its 501(c)3 status and has continued as a not-for-profit entity. There are no paid staff and all officers and directors volunteer their time and receive no direct compensation for their time and efforts except in the form of reimbursements for purchasing equipment, gear, insurance, uniforms, and other items that support the operation of the club for its youth members.
In 2005, Classics renamed itself as MDSports X-TREME Basketball as part of an affiliation with the Maryland Sports Association (MDSports). The affiliation did not pan out and in March, 2006, Classics Basketball resumed operations under its original name. Also in 2006, Classics Basketball added Boys AAU Basketball teams to its program.
In 2008, Club President, Andrew Stadnik was awarded the Potomac Valley AAU District Volunteer of the Year Award for his support of the Potomac Valley AAU Girls and Boys Basketball programs. .
Other select girls basketball organizations have come and gone and some are in it for goals other than those focused on the youth members, but Classics Basketball will continue to provide young athletes in and around the Potomac Valley AAU District with quality coaching and top-level competition to enhance their basketball skills for middle school, high school, college and beyond with its focus on its youth members.
We wish to recognize in memoriam the efforts and dedication of Mimi Keister who passed away early in 2014 for all of her efforts and service to the Classics Basketabll club in its first two decades.
