VSC PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Fall 2026 | U7-U9 | October 3 – November 28
Fall 2026 | U10-U17 | September 21 – December 7
Fall 2026 | U10-U17 | September 21 – December 7
PROGRAM FOCUS
Throughout the program, athletes will work on:
- Fundamental and advanced skill development
- Ball handling, passing, finishing and shooting
- Footwork, movement and decision-making
- Basketball IQ and understanding how to play the game
- 1-on-1, small-sided and game-like situations
- Confidence, consistency and competitive habits
- Physical preparation appropriate to each athlete’s age and stage of development
Our training will emphasize learning through doing. Players will be challenged to read situations, make decisions, solve problems and apply their skills in small-sided games, rather than simply completing repetitive drills.
A DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY
An important part of the Player Development Program is helping each athlete identify an appropriate next step in their basketball journey.
For some athletes, that pathway may lead to future VSC Elite or Select team opportunities. For others, we may recommend additional development or help families identify other quality programs within the wider basketball community that may be a better fit for the athlete at that particular stage of development.
Our priority is the young person. Not every athlete develops at the same pace, nor is the same environment right for every player. We want to meet athletes where they are, provide excellent coaching, and offer families thoughtful and honest guidance about the opportunities that will best support their continued growth.
Just as importantly, we want our athletes to develop a growth mindset, understanding that improvement comes through effort, perseverance, curiosity and a genuine love for the game.
For our older athletes, the Fall program will also place particular emphasis on preparing them to enter their upcoming high school basketball seasons with greater confidence, skill and readiness.
VSC U7–U9 PLAYER FUNDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM | Coach | Allison and Mike McNeill
We are excited to announce that Coaches Allison and Mike McNeill will be leading our youngest athletes in the VSC U7–U9 Player FUNDevelopment Program this Fall.
Together, Allison and Mike bring decades of coaching experience spanning grassroots, high school, university, provincial and Canadian National Team basketball. They coached together with Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team, culminating in Canada’s run to the quarter-finals at the 2012 London Olympic Games, with Allison serving as Head Coach and Mike as a member of her coaching staff.
Allison is one of Canada’s most accomplished basketball coaches. During her tenure, she helped elevate Canada from 22nd to 8th in the world rankings and was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. Mike brings an equally impressive background in teaching and player development, with extensive experience working with athletes from the grassroots level through to international competition.
What makes their involvement at VSC particularly special is their genuine passion for working with young athletes and teaching the game.
PROGRAM FOCUS
Throughout the eight-week program, our U7–U9 athletes will focus on:
- Shooting Mechanics
- Dribbling & Ball Manipulation
- Passing
- Footwork & Body Control
- Team Play, Spacing & Cutting
- Confidence Building & Leadership Development
At this age, our priority is to help young athletes learn, play, compete and have fun while developing confidence and a strong basketball foundation. Allison and Mike will create an engaging, development-focused environment where players can build fundamental skills while developing a genuine love for the game.
We are incredibly fortunate to have coaches of Allison and Mike’s experience investing in the youngest members of our VSC community and helping them begin their basketball journey the right way.
LEAD PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (PDP) COACH | JONATHAN YU
We are excited to have Coach JY leading much of our Player Development programming.
JY brings an exceptional player development background to VSC. In 2023, he moved to Italy to work under internationally recognized player development coach Alex Sarama at College Prep Italy, gaining extensive experience with an evidence-based, game-centered approach to basketball development.
Sarama’s experience includes serving as Director of Player Development with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, and he is now Head Coach of the WNBA’s Portland Fire. He is also the founder of Transforming Basketball, an organization dedicated to advancing evidence-based approaches to coaching and player development.
JY has since served as a Camp Director and Lead Coach with Transforming Basketball’s Residential Summer Camp in Italy, working alongside athletes and coaches from more than 20 countries. Over the past two summers, he has also led basketball camps throughout Italy and the Czech Republic, working with athletes ranging from grassroots youth to high-performance teenagers.
His experience also includes presenting to coaches through the Italian Basketball Federation on evidence-based approaches to coaching and player development.
We are fortunate to have Coach JY bringing this knowledge, experience and passion for teaching to our VSC athletes.