Brooklyn celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day with youth basketball clinic

National Girls and Women in Sports Day was celebrated at the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center Wednesday by dozens of middle school girls. 

The event, hosted by the New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets in their 18,000-square-foot training facility, featured a schedule of drills, games and discussions designed to inspire students both on and off the court.

Journie Walker, 10, has dreams to play professionally.

"Keep on trying," Journie said. "I try to be a basketball star. If you can't be a basketball star, try to play in your head ... dream about where you want to be."

In addition to on-court activities, the program included a panel on confidence featuring leaders from the world of professional sports.

"The opportunities that exist in sports that may not have always existed in the past, not just on the court, but all the types of careers you can have in sports off the court," said Marissa Shorenstein, chief of external affairs for Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment.

The Brooklyn Basketball Training Center, which opened about five months ago across from the Barclays Center, is a youth initiative designed to engage students in community-based sports programs.

"It's the only program affiliated with two professional sports teams of its kind," Shorenstein said. "While we go out every day into the community and teach basketball in more than 230 Brooklyn schools, we wanted to create a physical place where the community could also come to us."

After the high-impact basketball clinic, students created vision boards encouraging them to set ambitious goals for the future.

"I want to be something big. I want to be a lawyer, a doctor, something that will change the world," said 11-year-old Giselle Alqahshi.

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