Off the Bench Basketball Academy head coach Arnold Katabi has praised the impact of the End of Year Basketball Camp held at Asifiwe International School in Kisaasi, describing it as a holistic program aimed at developing young athletes beyond the court.
Speaking at the close of the week-long camp, Katabi said the final camp of the year focused on shaping a “total athlete” mentally, physically and spiritually.
“This is our last training camp of the year and our mantra is to train a total athlete mentally, physically and spiritually. Those are the things we have been focusing on during this camp,” Katabi said. “We have been having about 70 kids coming in since Monday for this week-long camp.”
The camp hosted children aged between four and 18 years, with training sessions tailored to different age groups. Katabi explained that while fundamentals remain central to the program, older players were pushed to better understand the game.
“For the bigger group of 16 and above, we have been focusing on their game IQ, teaching them how to play the game,” he noted. “We are not throwing away the fundamentals, we start with that, but the biggest part of the practice is to teach them how to play the game and understand all the concepts.”
For the younger participants, the focus remained firmly on basics.
“With the young ones it’s fundamentals all through. We have a very exciting Under-10 group that we feel will play the game very well at a higher level,” Katabi added.
Beyond basketball skills, the camp incorporated daily devotions, life skills sessions and personal evaluations aimed at nurturing character and values.
“We have devotions every day with different themes where we challenge the kids and ask them if they understand that they are not here by themselves. We also concentrate on the spiritual part,” Katabi said. “We have life skills as well and we do evaluations at the end of the day or at the end of the week after they have set their expectations.”
Participants also took part in board games, recovery sessions that included swimming, and team-building activities.
“It’s a total package and the parents are interested in such programs,” Katabi said. “Our coaches focus on teamwork, discipline, great attitude, communication and social abilities because the kids are coming from different backgrounds but here they are under the same umbrella.”
Katabi emphasized that the academy uses basketball as a tool for broader life development, especially at a critical stage of growth.
“We try to use the game of basketball to see that they develop in life because they are at a critical age,” he said. “Parents are looking for ways to engage their kids physically so that they are not on gadgets and TV.”
He also highlighted the importance of the relationship between coaches, players and parents.
“Sometimes when the kids are here, they open up to us coaches more than they do to their parents, and when we give that feedback to parents it becomes very helpful,” Katabi explained. “Keeping them engaged and not idle is important because, as the Bible says, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”
The camp also featured a charity drive after the academy was contacted by Moses Ochan from Hoops for Hope in Pader District.
“He reached out and said there was a need for items,” Katabi said. “We ran a charity drive with the kids and parents, explaining why it is important to give back. Our parents embraced it.”
The academy donated clothes, shoes and other items, with plans to expand the initiative.
“This is just the beginning. We want to do this on a regular basis, maybe quarterly or twice a year. Going forward we can also give household needs,” he said.
As the year ends, Katabi said the children will now be allowed time to rest and enjoy the festive season after a demanding week.
Looking ahead to 2026, Off the Bench Basketball Academy plans to keep its junior players active through competition and structured programs.
“Our junior side will take part in a league format starting every Saturday in January after partnering with some academies,” Katabi revealed. “We are exposing them to competition. If they start competing at that level, they will be good basketball players.”
The academy will also continue its regular Saturday program and host another one-week camp before schools reopen.
