No fewer than 100 youths are expected to participate in this year's edition of the annual Droplet Basketball Clinic, which began on Monday at the out-door courts of the Kwara State Stadium Complex. This is a pet project of Hon. Tunji Ayeni, which was launched to unearth budding basketball talents.

Briefing newsmen on the one-week Basketball Youth Development programme at the Conference Room of the Sports Council, the sponsor, Ayeni, said the platform was introduced to discover and develop talents in the sport, and to encourage the development of sports in the state.

The programme started five years ago, and according to Ayeni, the vision was to upgrade it to a Basketball Academy.

While commending the Kwara State Government for making sports and youth development a top priority, he advised that more facilities be made available, especially across the state, to ensure total participation.

The state Director of Sports, Mallam Tunde Kazeem, commended the sponsor for complementing government's efforts at developing youth and sports, even as he called on others to emulate the gesture, adding that government alone cannot shoulder the responsibility.

On his own, Secretary of Kwara Falcons Basketball team, Azeez Bello, said that the clinic would be in two categories - for beginners and intermediate, in the ages 5-12 and 12-16, both male and female.

Azeez, who represented the Chairman of the Basketball Association, Joseph Adeyemo, said that the clinic would hold between Monday July 27 and Saturday August 1, between the hours of 4.00pm and 6.00pm, while the closing ceremony comes up on Saturday.

The clinic is being supported by Coach Mark Riley and Coach Debbie Brajevic, all of FST, USA and Coach Bing Santa-Maria of Monastery