Coach Steve Freeland with the youth at Fryshuset
(scroll down for Gswede Monday)

(all photos by Tony Friede)


Gswede Monday

"It is all about the youth”

One of my favorite poems by John Keats begins:

A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases;
It will never pass into nothingness.

Witnessing Coach Steve Freeland with the youth of Fryshuset from May 15-19 was very powerful and emotional. It was indeed A thing of beauty. I am convinced now more than ever that impacting, mentoring and caring about our youth is one of the most important contributions I will ever make.

The 2nd annual “American Basketball coach in Sweden” program began on the center court of Fryshuset with Steve and 17 young men ranging in age from 15-20. My good friend Kevin Ryan, General Manager of 08 Stockholm Human Rights (http://www.08basket.se/) and Jonte Karlsson, Head Coach of the Professional team, generously provided the platform for us to work with these aspiring players. This youth team is an important part of the organization. I sincerely appreciate the efforts of Fryshuset (www.fryshuset.se) in hosting my program and will make a donation to the organization. They will use the funds for initiatives that utilize sport as a tool for social positive change.

During the first hour, Steve was able to assess the team and he liked what he saw! He was impressed with the talent of the team which consisted of a diverse group of both native and immigrant youth. He knew almost instantly that he would really enjoy teaching and working with them. The team embraced Steve and the passion on both sides was infectious.

For two hours every day, Steve taught them a variety of elements from his unique and successful playbook on basketball. Throughout the week, he assessed their strengths and weakness with shooting, dribbling, passing, rebounding and made sure that they utilized that talent during the week by scrimmaging (5 against 5) on the full court.

By the 2nd and 3rd day, he was truly pleased with the progress of the team and how quickly they had absorbed his teaching. Many times they were running new offenses and defenses exactly the way he had taught them which often prompted him to tell me, “This is A Thing of Beauty”. His smile let me know how special he viewed these young men.

Before each session, he talked to the team about what was going to be covered that day. Similarly, after each practice he would let them know his thoughts on the progress and what to expect the next day. He had a game plan for the week and was totally prepared. On the final day, he talked them through the importance of team, being unselfish, life in USA basketball, getting a good education, and other keys points about life and how to be successful.

Steve’s zeal and enthusiasm for these kids was intoxicating! He always arrived at least an hour early every day to enjoy private moments with the kids and exchange experiences with the coaches.

Some poignant moments occurred off the court. One of the young men wanted to talk with Steve about playing high school basketball in the USA, so he spent 30 minutes telling him what to expect and answered his questions. Another time, I was talking with three players about their school work when I asked one of them what he thought of Steve. He said, “We love Steve”.

The purpose of my program is to touch the lives of youth here in Sweden by utilizing basketball as a tool. I hope that some of them can reach high levels in basketball but more importantly, I want them to soar to a high level as gentlemen and contribute positively to society.

One of my mentors and a big supporter of the program watched the team practice with Steve one day. He was nearly in tears seeing the love and care that was evident on the court. He looked at me and said, “It is all about the youth”. I looked back and said, “Yes, it is all about the youth”.

George