Basketball Manitoba is excited to announce changes to its High-Performance Programming. The female Targeted Athlete Program (TAP) will no longer run in its current format. Instead, in response to changes in the current club, prep, and school basketball programming, we are introducing two new programs to better support and develop Manitoba's basketball athletes.
First, we are launching the Canada Basketball Female Junior Academy, modelled after the successful male Junior Academy of the past two years. The 2024 Junior Academy is for athletes born in 2010, 2011, or 2012. An identification (ID) weekend for both boys and girls will be held at the Sport Manitoba Courts from September 20-22, 2024. Both Junior Academies will train over five weekends throughout the year, with three 2-hour practices each weekend (one each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). The Junior Academy is an early identification and training program developed by Canada Basketball and implemented in provinces across Canada. It focuses on teaching players the skills and concepts to excel at higher levels. The Junior Academy is a training-only program that complements the Manitoba club system in developing and identifying basketball talent.
The Junior Academy training weekends are scheduled to avoid conflicts with the Peg City Showcase weekends. The 2024 schedule is as follows:
- September 20-22
- October 11-13
- October 25-27
- November 15-17
- December 6-8
In addition to the Junior Academy, Basketball Manitoba is introducing the Targeted Athlete Strategy (TAS) program for males and females, similar to programs run in other provinces nationwide. The TAS program is designed for high school-aged athletes and will offer small-group training and athlete development/support for targeted athletes. Admission to the TAS program is by invitation only. Athletes will be selected based on criteria from the Gold Medal Profile developed by Canada Basketball and previous evaluations in various high-performance programs (Provincial Team, School, and Club).
The Rural Targeted Athlete Program (TAP) will continue as it has over the last three years, with open tryouts in the East, West and South regions planned for early September.
Additional details on all these programs will be released later this summer.