Annie La Fleur conducts a coaches workshop for Public School System teachers as part of their Professional Development Day Tuesday at the Ada gym.
Public School System teachers pose with Annie La Fleur following the coaches workshop she conducted Tuesday at the Ada gym.
ANNIE La Fleur, a retired WNBA professional and a former Australian Opal and Olympic silver medalist, facilitated two coaches workshop at the Ada gym Tuesday for public middle school and high school teachers as part of their Professional Development Day.
In an interview with Variety, La Fleur, who is also the FIBA Oceania National Federation and sport development manager, said the workshops introduced the 42 participants “to what they would do to coach a basketball team: the basics, theory, and what it means to be in an actual court teaching actual skills.”
She said the PSS teachers were “very energetic and asked a lot of good questions. We made the curriculum very engaging. It was a big group turnout, and it was good to see them working together on the actual topics. It’s good to see how engaged they were.”
She added, “It’s great to provide them training and education, particularly in basketball. It’s about sharing our knowledge and trying to lift the level of the standards of coaches and referees.”
La Fleur said her overall goal is to help the local federation build capacity.
“We want to lift the level because we want to lift the standard of competition that’s played here. The idea is for the NMI to compete internationally. So, how do we lift our level to compete internationally?” she asked.
As the FIBA development manager of the Oceania region, La Fleur oversees 22 federations in the Pacific, including the NMI’s.
It was Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation President James Lee and his board who facilitated La Fleur’s week-long visit.
“James and the board have done a fantastic job over the past few years putting a strategic plan together,” she said. “I think they have a vision, and we are trying to help them realize it.”
La Fleur emphasized the importance of having a plan. “With that plan…you have people to help you achieve goals. James has put together a team that could do that. We see it as part of the federation. It’s about the workforce around you, and I think that is one of the things they are focusing on now,” she added.
It was La Fleur’s second visit to Saipan. She hosted a similar program in 2016.
As for the improvements made to the Ada gym and the Oleai Sports Complex, she said: “There have been a lot of fantastic changes in the facilities. It’s great to have a facility like this.”
She also noted the excitement about sports and how it brings the community together.
“Good to see some new faces, too,” she added.
