Six or seven years old at the time, stuck in a pandemic with not much going on, Whistler’s Michael McSkimming started watching Toronto Raptors games so he could talk basketball with his uncle in Toronto.
His parents, Jackie Dickinson and Jason McSkimming, never thought in a million years that he would actually have the attention span to sit through even one quarter, let alone an entire game. But each game came and went, and Michael was as captivated as can be.
And now the entire family are diehard Raptors fans, all thanks to Michael’s growing passion for the sport.
In the spring of 2020, there wasn’t much for kids to do as parks were closed and in-person interactions limited due to the pandemic.
“The playoffs were starting with the Raptors, and he became so enthusiastic about watching the Toronto Raptors and then that translated with him wanting to play,” said Dickinson. “A lot of the closure has kind of facilitated the desire to start playing basketball and watching basketball and it just has never stopped. And as much as we want to kind of put him into different sports he keeps asking, ‘when can I play basketball in Whistler?’”
With his love for the sport growing, Michael’s parents set up a basketball net outside their home for him to practice and play with the neighbourhood kids. But still, for the last couple years, there hasn’t been anywhere for Michael and other Whistler kids to play structured basketball and learn the intricacies of the sport.
That is until former university and semi-pro basketball player Yoni Marmorstein brought his Hoop Reel Basketball Academy to the Sea to Sky.
Living at home on Salt Spring Island at 25 years old, Marmorstein knew a typical nine-to-five wasn’t what he wanted, so he decided to rededicate himself to the one thing he was most passionate about: basketball.
Marmorstein walked on to the team at Capilano University, and when his university career was over, he got a couple opportunities on some pro and semi-pro teams in Vancouver before using those experiences to start his true passion of teaching the game to younger generations.
Hoop Reel started eight years ago as private and small-group basketball training in North Vancouver. About two years ago, Marmorstein hired more coaches, rented a space in Squamish and started doing a full-fledged basketball program under the Hoop Reel name.
“When I started the Squamish academy it was a club-type atmosphere with everybody training together, but then we [were] also splitting up into teams and started playing games against other clubs and just covering all aspects of the game from that standpoint—whereas before it was more purely a skills training, one-on-one kind of thing,” said Marmorstein, who expanded the program this winter to include weekly sessions in Whistler as well.
“Whistler right away seemed like there was a lot of interest. I just put out the post on Facebook and I connected with the coaches, but I didn’t know if there would be enough kids or much of a response at all.
“I think we had 28 kids, so that was surprising. There was clearly a lot of interest.”
Michael, currently just nine years old, is the youngest of the Whistler program’s nearly 30 kids by about two years. And while he said it was scary at first playing with the older kids, he has since gotten used to it and wouldn’t change anything about it.
“I thought it was awesome. I was a little bit worried, like are they going to teach me if I am not so good like the other kids,” said Michael.
“I feel like if I’m playing now, I will be like a whole new good basketball player. And I really appreciate that. They just want to teach me basketball. They don’t care about my size. They want to teach me basketball and how to learn and teach and get better.”
Being the smallest on the court, Michael perfectly encapsulates the essence of what Marmorstein envisioned for the program. Being short for a basketball player himself at just 5-9, Marmorstein had to work extra hard for everything he has gotten in the sport.
Now he is passing down that mindset of “All Work, No Luck” to his students.
“I used to be a youth worker for an organization called Hoops for Hope in South Africa, and they were all about using basketball as a vehicle to teach life skills. So for me as coach that has always been my main focus,” he said. “We are probably not going to create the next NBA player right away. But I take being a mentor to the kids really seriously, so I try to help them to kind of see how the game can teach them life skills as far as teamwork, discipline, and that you have to work hard towards your goals if you want to achieve them.”
For Dickinson, seeing her son participate in something he is passionate about is incredible in itself, but the best thing about signing Michael up for Hoop Reel has been seeing his confidence grow right before her eyes.
“I’ve noticed a lot more confidence of who he is as a person and willingness to be part of something that feels different than what other kids in the community are doing and that is kind of exciting for him,” she said. “Each week I’m like, ‘so you are the youngest kid there, how do you feel about that?’ And he’s like, ‘I want to go back and I want to keep earning the trust of my teammates,’ so it’s the confidence and the willingness and desire to feel accepted and feel a part of that that I’ve noticed a huge change in him over the last while since he’s participated.”
Hoop Reel is currently about halfway done its winter program, after which it will take a short break before getting back to it in the spring.
For anyone looking to get their kids involved, there are still spots open in Whistler at a pro-rated price. More information about the program can be found at hoopreel.com/whistler or by emailing Marmorstein at [email protected].
