By Sam Elliott
Having coached and been involved with youth basketball since 1989, Mark Tamm has seen players grow through his program, go on to play at the high school and college levels and then come back around to his youth teams – only this time in a different role.
“I’ve watched a lot of kids go through high school and college, and now I’m actually coaching kids in our program right now that are kids of parents that I coached as youths,” Tamm said.
Tamm was once a co-owner of what is now the Best Choice Fieldhouse in Fishers, but is now in his third year of running the Lil’ Dribblers youth basketball program with his daughter, Emily Flanigan, at the RAM Sports Academy, 17455 Bataan Court, Noblesville.
Lil’ Dribblers offers basketball training for children as young as preschool up through fourth grade and aims to instill not just an appreciation and interest in the game, but also build strong character, bodies and minds while helping youngsters develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
“My daughter does a wonderful job, especially with the little ones. She’s just really good with them,” Tamm said. “This season right now we’ll probably have about 180 kids total. I already have about 160 signed up for the new season now, and we’ll probably have more before we get started.”
Beginning with first graders, children play on Tamm’s teams with games in Fishers and Noblesville in addition to practices, with the new fall season beginning Oct. 24. The Lil’ Dribblers’ next kindergarten league begins Oct. 31 and includes weekly practices before live games in which children can apply their newly learned skills.
“Our kindergarten league is one of the biggest things we have,” Tamm said. “It’s a Saturday morning league we do with two sessions per year, November through December and January through February.”
Lil’ Dribblers offer year-round opportunities for are children to develop their basketball skills, with their next slate of eight-week clinics beginning at the end of October. For more, visit lildribblers-hc.com.
