Micro Ballers: Kelowna’s First Hoops Program

Micro Ballers is where Kelowna kids start basketball. A fun-first Sunday program for preschool and kindergarten players at St. Joseph’s Elementary. One registration, and the coaches group kids by age and experience after the first session so everyone plays at their level.

Every season includes 9 Sunday sessions (11:00 AM–12:15 PM), a team shirt, and Media Day photos. Winter season runs January through March. Details and registration below.

What a Sunday actually looks like

Seventy-five minutes, and almost none of it is standing in a line. Kids start with a movement warm-up, move through stations for dribbling, passing and shooting on lowered hoops, and finish with small-sided games. The ball is sized for small hands and the nets are set at a height where a five year old can actually score, because a child who never scores does not come back.

How we group the kids after week one

You register once. After the first session the coaches group the kids by age and experience, because a three year old who has never held a basketball and a kindergartener with an older sibling need different mornings. Doing it after we have seen the kids play is more accurate than asking a parent to guess on a form.

Is my child too young

Almost certainly not. This program exists for exactly the age where most clubs say come back in two years. If your child can follow a simple instruction and wants to run around, they will be fine. No experience is expected and most players arrive having never played on a team.

What parents should know

• Bring indoor court shoes and a water bottle. We supply the basketballs.
• Parents are welcome to stay and watch. St. Joseph’s has seating in the gym.
• The team shirt is included, not an add-on, and it is theirs to keep.
• Media Day photos are included too, so you finish the season with real pictures of your child playing.

What comes next

Most players move up into our 3v3 league once they reach Grade 1, which adds real games while keeping the same fun-first coaching. There is no pressure to move on before your child is ready, and plenty of kids do a second season here first.