Tryouts for both the Street Ballers and the 17U Gym Ratz team will be at Downtown Sports Club from 3:00-5:00 on Saturday, March 15th and 1:00-3:00 on Sunday, March 16th.

MAHWAH - Playing from an early age, then through high school and being fortunate enough to play on the collegiate level is something every diehard girls' basketball player dreams of. What keeps the game growing is what happens after those playing days are done. For former Saddle River Day stars Sydney Watkins, Michelle Sidor, Jaida Patrick, Jenna Jordan along with former Northern Valley/Old Tappan standout Jackie Kelly, all of whom were integral parts of state championship-winning teams in high school, are now doing what they can to help develop players in North Jersey.

They have launched the Gym Ratz program with AAU teams from 9u through 17u along with the Street Ballers 16u team focused on players who are determined to play basketball in college by providing maximum exposure from college coaching staffs. The group also provides training packages led by Sidor, New Jersey's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with over 3,200 career points, for players who want to hone their fundamentals and reach their personal goals.

"These girls came to me with the idea of bringing the Gym Ratz back and positive role models on and off the court for the present and future players that come through the program," said Danny Brown. "All of these girls were excellent players, great teammates, and they all earned their master's degrees after playing in college. You couldn't ask for better role models to lead this program."

Among the many teams playing under the Gym Ratz will be the Street Ballers. The 16u squad will be a corporate-sponsored team playing in the HGSL Hoop Group league along with various tournaments and showcases in New Jersey (Atlantic City and Manalapan) along with out-of-state spots such as Spooky Nook in Manheim, PA, Scranton, PA, and Louisville, KY.

Street Ballers are sponsored by SportifyU.org. A platform to exposure to college coaches by providing a Digital Athletic Achievement WalletT that charts an athlete's academic and athletic achievements. They have also partnered with a Non-Profit organization, Street-DNA; Whose mission is to offer underprivileged middle school and high school female athletes the right tools to level the playing field of gaining scholarships to universities and colleges through athletics.

"We want to challenge our young girls to not only become better players, but to become future leaders as well." said Gym Ratz Program Director Sydney Watkins, a former player at Saddle River Day and then also at Division 1 Manhattan University. "We offer everything from working on developmental basketball skills to elite training. Whatever players need to get to the next level, we want to help them reach that goal and build their confidence on and off the court."

Also available are one-on-one, tandem, or group training sessions. Those will be led by Sidor, who played at the University of Michigan and also at DePaul University. Watkins and Patrick, who finished her playing career at the University of Miami will also run private or group lessons. In addition, Patrick will also be running a basketball boot camp clinic and team training starting in April.

"Having played for Danny (Brown) with Gym Ratz since I was in 4th grade to being able to train players in the Gym Ratz program is a real full circle moment for me," said Sidor. "It's all about growing the game by developing and empowering these girls on the court by building their confidence and improving their individual skills.As an athlete, a trainer, or a coach, you get out what you put into it. Whatever goal each player has in mind, we want to work hard and help get them there."

Tryouts for both the Street Ballers and the 17u Gym Ratz team will be at Downtown Sports Club from 3:00-5:00 on Saturday, March 15th and 1:00-3:00 on Sunday, March 16th.

The address is: 7 Leighton Place in Mahwah.

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