Northwestern Warriors Youth Basketball

Upcoming shooting clinic opportunity! Check out Huntsman Elite Basketball Training opportunity below.

HUNTSMAN ELITE BASKETBALL TRAINING Schedule your appointment online HUNTSMAN ELITE BASKETBALL TRAINING

🏀🏀🏀 Please Share 🏀🏀🏀

The strength and conditioning, speed and agility program will be live again Monday April 27!!! As always the program is open to all Northwestern athletes 3-8 grade! We will be training 3 days a week this year. Registration is still FREE, and is now all online. We will be using Facebook and the SportsEngine app for communication to parents about program details.

March Madness Fundraiser Be sure to bring cash or check(made out to the Northwestern Athletic Boosters) to Lynn Cochran or Venmo the Northwestern Athletic Boosters $20 to finalize your entry! 1st place: $200 2nd Place: $125 3rd Place: $50

This is a great read! Teach your kid to love feedback and work on their weaknesses!

🏀 COACH’S CORNER WITH COACH TRAY

How to Avoid Parent Goggles

After nearly 30 years of coaching and training basketball players, there’s one term you hear often in coaching circles:

Parent Goggles.

Parent goggles happen when parents love their child so much that they only see the positives — but struggle to see the areas their child still needs to improve.

This conversation isn’t about potential.

Every kid has potential.

This is about where a player is today.

Maybe a player needs to improve ball handling.
Maybe conditioning isn’t where it needs to be.
Maybe confidence or effort fluctuates.

That’s normal. Every athlete has weaknesses.

But growth only begins when we’re honest about them.

⸻

Why Coaches Have Tough Conversations

Coaches don’t give feedback to hurt feelings or discourage kids.

We do it to help them improve.

Just like in school — if a student struggles on a test, a teacher explains what needs work so the student can succeed next time. Sports work the same way.

Encouragement matters.

But honesty matters too.

The best environment for development includes both belief and accountability.

⸻

Teaching Kids to Love Feedback

In our program — and even with my own children — we teach athletes to learn something powerful:

Love constructive criticism.

It feels great to hear what you’re doing well.

But real improvement happens when athletes hear what needs work and attack it with effort and humility.

The truth is, most people avoid correction.

Elite players welcome it.

They love the work.
They trust the process.
They embrace the grind of getting better every day.

⸻

How to Avoid Parent Goggles

Take off parent goggles by being open to honest feedback from coaches and focusing on your child’s current habits and effort, not just their potential. The parents who help their kids grow the most are the ones who listen, support the work, and encourage improvement instead of defending weaknesses.

Because the goal isn’t just protecting confidence — it’s building athletes who are prepared, resilient, and constantly improving.

🏀 — Coach Tray Huntsman
HUNTSMAN Elite Basketball

Hey Northwestern Basketball Players!

Are you a beginner looking to learn the basics, or more competitive and looking to put in the work? Come on out and work on your basketball skills during open gym!

Open to all current 2nd–6th graders. Please make sure to bring a basketball. The open gyms will be at Northwestern Elementary.

Check the flyer below for full details on dates and times (February – March 2026):

🏆🎉 Huge congratulations to our incredible 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 on their bronze bracket 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗪𝗜𝗡! 🏆

We are SO proud of your hard work and unstoppable spirit!

Keep dreaming big and playing strong! 🏀💪🔥

Huge congratulations to our 6th grade boys basketball team on an amazing Runner-Up finish in the Bronze Bracket! 🏀🥈

Keep growing, keep grinding, and keep believing in each other. The future is bright!

Way to go, boys! 👏🔥

Tonight we welcomed our final Youth Player of the Game for the season — Brantley Thomas! 🏀❤️💙

Brantley had the best seats in the house, courtside with the team, soaking in every moment under the lights! There’s nothing better than seeing the next generation of Warriors right there beside their heroes.

Way to go, Brantley! The future is bright! 🔥🏀

🏀🔥 𝟲𝗧𝗛 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗙𝗙 🔥🏀

One last cheer for our 6th grade squad!

Thank you for the hustle, the teamwork, the big plays, and the unforgettable memories this season. You represented our program with class and determination every single game.

We are proud of you — keep working hard and chasing your goals!

𝗟𝗘𝗧’𝗦 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗜𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝟲𝗧𝗛 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦! 👏👏👏