74 The QUEE NS Courier • july 21, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com sports Middle schoolers improve their skills at Maspeth High School basketball camp By ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@qns.com @A_GiudiceReport Maspeth High School (MHS) has just wrapped up its annual summer basketball camp last week. The coach of the MHS Argonauts basketball team, Anastasia Bitis, along with current Argonauts players and alumni, taught 36 middle schoolers from around the neighborhood a variety of basketball skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting and rebounding during the camp session from July 11-15. “We are very proud of the camp. It is a great way for us to give back to a community that always supports our school and our team,” Bitis said. “It is also an opportunity for our athletes to be put into coaching situations which helps them see and understand the game from a different perspective.” The kids were also taught the importance of sportsmanship, mental toughness and putting out the best effort they can in adverse situations. “I acquired the knowledge of the importance to communicate with my team in order to strengthen our team chemistry and accomplish our common goal,” said Maya Cwalina, eighthgrader from P.S./I.S. 49. “My favorite part of the camp, aside from playing games, was the variety of drills we learned which I could also practice at home.” Many of the kids enjoyed the daily drills and have improved their game during the camp. “The Maspeth High School basketball camp has taught me to handle the ball much better than I used to,” said Adriana Gambini, eighthgrader from St. Adalbert School. “They also taught me to have a better mentality. My favorite was the conditioning we did every morning.” “I learned to become a smarter basketball player and use my teammates,” said Isaiah Milien, eighth-grader from Halsey 157. “My favorite part of the camp was playing in three vs. three games with no dribble and the conditioning we did every morning.” World-class professional tennis returns to Forest Hills Stadium By It’s in Queens rmackay@queensny.org Billie Jean King, Andy Roddick and Patrick McEnroe are about to participate in a huge tennis extravaganza in Queens … and it’s not the U.S. Open. Mylan World Team Tennis will kick off its season with two weeks of matches and ceremonies at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills Gardens from July 31 through Aug. 12. Mylan World is a co-ed professional league consisting of six teams: New York Empire, Orange County Breakers, Philadelphia Freedoms, San Diego Aviators, Springfield Lasers and Washington Kastles. Patrick McEnroe is the head coach of the Empire, while former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick and Christina McHale, a New Jersey resident who lost an epic second-round match to Serena Williams at Wimbledon, are the marquee players. Other team members are Guido Pella of Argentina, and doubles specialists María Irigoyen, also of Argentina, and Oliver Marach, of Austria. Other tennis legends in the league include Martina Hingis (Kastles) Mardy Fish (Kastles), John Isner (Lasers), James Blake (Aviators) and Caroline Wozniacki (Freedoms). On July 31, the Empire will take on the Kastles as part of an opening night celebration honoring all-time greats Billie Jean King and Virginia Wade. Other highlights of the two weeks will include the following: - Monday, Aug. 1: The Empire take on the Freedoms. - Wednesday, Aug. 3: The Empire play the Lasers on LGBTQ Pride Night, featuring Athlete Ally and The LGBT Community Center of NYC. The Stonewall Chorale, the first national LGBT chorus, will sing the National Anthem. - Tuesday, Aug. 9: Roddick joins the Empire in a rematch with the Kastles. - Thursday, Aug. 11: The Empire go against the Breakers. Plus, Billie Jean King heads Salute to Strong Women, a panel discussion with women such as Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, athletes, business and philanthropic leaders, and representatives from Barnard College and the Girl Scouts of Greater New York. - Friday, Aug. 12: The Empire compete against the Aviators on International Night, which celebrates Queens and includes clinics in several languages, including Russian, Japanese, Spanish and English, prior to the matches. Mylan World Team Tennis has existed since 1974, but this is the first season that the Empire will play at Forest Hills Stadium.
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