Teaching is the job and learning is the objective with Magoffin County’s Youth Basketball Instructional League.

With winning placed on the back burner, those in charge of the league are bringing fundamental basketball skills to the forefront.
“We want to give them a chance to learn how to play basketball…teach them the basics and just let them have fun playing,” league director Robbie Russell said.
The league features nine teams consisting of close to 150 children between the ages of five and 12 years old.
Five teams include players age five through eight and four more consist of players age nine through 12. The age groupings (5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12) allow players of the same age to compete against each other.
“It’s not about winning,” Russell said. “It’s about the coaches teaching and the kids learning.
“We started a little late because of the weather, but everything is going fine. We’ve got some kids that have never played before and they are doing well, and that’s what we want.”
The younger teams play at Herald Whitaker Middle School on Tuesday and Friday evenings while the older group plays on Monday and Thursday evenings.
Teams from all age groups play at the middle school every Saturday.
The league will run through late March and culminate in a tournament after all regular season games are completed.
“The kids are getting a chance to learn and a chance to play basketball so that has to be a good thing,” Russell said.