Spread out across Lawrence, in the elementary schools and the small, dimly lit gym of the Salvation Army, a basketball league has been playing. After the Hoopster League ends, carrying into the madness that is March, three age groups of young athletes are learning the ins and the outs of the game. And quietly pulling the strings, on the second floor of the Salvation Army building sits Donnie Hornburger, the youth program director.

Hornburger said the program has been going on at least 15 years, maybe more.

“I can’t tell you exactly how long,” he said. “But, it’s been happening for longer than I have been here.”

The league itself is divided into four age groups to accommodate any youths who wish to participate. There are two seasons, one in the fall running from September to December. The second season runs from January to March. Because of this, many players from the Parks and Recreation league trickle in.

The kindergarten through second-grade division focuses on the fundamentals of the game itself; there is no scorekeeping. When kids play at this level, said Hornburger, very few have a complete understanding of the game. Therefore, it makes no sense to put the extra pressure when they’re only trying to hammer down the basics.

“We try to give the kids a positive experience,” he said. “We try to stress sportsmanship and fair play. We really hope they are learning life values.”

However, these principal fundamentals do not change from age to age. Each group builds on the other’s foundation.

“The main thing is learning the game of basketball,” Hornburger said. “For a lot of kids, it’s their first opportunity to play basketball.”

Hornburger broke down the enrollment process, explaining that the league is one of the most flexible. There is no limit to the amount of people who can get involved. Not only that, he said, kids can form their own teams.

Clippers' guard Tyler Walmsley tries to find an open teammate around defender Nico Palacio. The Clippers defeated the Warriors 15-10 at Prairie Park Elementary.

“Prior to each season there is a week-long registration period,” he said. “They can come in as an individual or they can organize a team.”

It’s not only the children who are involved with the league, however. The entire community plays a role, as the league pulls from the locals for coaching and refereeing. And because of this varied background, each coach posses his or her own style of coaching. One such coach is Reenie Stogsdill, the gym teacher at Langston Hughes Elementary. Stogsdill coaches the Bobcats, a team composed completely of second grade Langston Hughes students.

“Practice is where we get things done,” she said. “Some coaches don’t focus on the basic fundamentals.”

Stogsdill said she has her own tricks to teach, mainly that a coach cannot assume that their players know anything. It is essential, she said, to start at the beginning. As for the fact that the league doesn’t keep score for the younger kids, she couldn’t be happier.

“Youth sports leagues are important for kids,” Stogsdill said. “I believe it’s a lost art. We push competition too early. Nowadays, there’s a higher rate of burnout in kids.”

With an increase in competition and a decrease in the basic starting blocks of the sports, it’s easier for kids to lose interest. To her, fun has to be involved. That’s why, she said, it’s important for the youngest of the players to learn to love the game before anything else.

Kansas University junior Michael Browder represents the opposite end of the age spectrum. He has coached for the Salvation Army League for the past three years and has tried his hands at all age groups. He now coaches a fifth- and sixth-grade team, but his aims remain the same.

“Specifically, I try to teach them discipline,” he said. “If they can get that down, they’ll be set.”

Much like Stogsdill and Hornburger, beneath the competition and the game itself is the true love of sports that Browder wants to instill.

“I want them to think it’s fun,” he said. “Hopefully, they carry away a love of the game. They need to take away the skills, and I want them to love basketball and play because they want to.”

And through it all, the parents are the ones standing on the sidelines, cheering on their kids. Looking past the armbands telling the youngest of the kids where they need to be to the oldest kids hammering the layups home, the parents stand by their children.

“The parents are usually the most emotionally involved,” said Browder with a laugh. “Usually for the better. It’s a great league because it incorporates both boys and girls. It may not seem as organized. But, we get it done.”