   
Grizzlies, area group join forces
By MICHAEL ALLEN
LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
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 The Conway Parks and Recreation Department has signed a contract with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, signifying a new and exciting opportunity for the youth of Conway.
The Junior Grizzlies youth basketball program is the new label to what was formerly called the city league program. With the Junior Grizzlies program, there are many incentives provided to the youth by the Memphis Grizzlies organization. The program is offered to boys and girls, grades 5-12.
"We are very proud and honored that the Memphis Grizzlies have chosen Conway as a place to offer this program," Brock said. "They talked to us about coming here to Conway, mainly because of the location in the state, so we decided to join up with them and give it a try. We think it's gonna be a pretty good deal."
The first incentive that the participants in the program will receive is a Junior Grizzlies reversible jersey. Those jerseys will have the official Memphis Grizzlies logo on it, and they'll be offered in the team colors. Another major perk will be an opportunity of a lifetime for all of those who register, which is a chance to see the defending world champions live. On March 21st, the Boston Celtics' superstars Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will lead their team into the FedEx Forum in Memphis to take on the Grizzlies. Additional tickets for family and friends can be purchased at a discounted price through the Conway Parks and Recreation Department.
"We've already had a basketball program anyway and we didn't have to implement anything," Brock said. "We did raise our fees just a little bit to offset some of the cost. With what the kids are going to get, we think that's it worth giving a try."
This year's registration cost is $50 per participant, which is $20 more than last year's rate. Sign-ups will be handled from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Conway Sports Center in the Don Owen Complex on Lower Ridge Road.
The Memphis Grizzlies will host a basketball clinic for the youngsters at the Conway Sports Center on Jan. 17th. In addition, the Grizzlies' coaching staff will have a coaching clinic at the FedEx Forum at an to-be-determined date. The coaches who attend the clinic will get free tickets to a home game on that specific weekend.
"We believe the coaches clinic and players clinic will be extremely beneficial to all of our players," Brock said. "Hopefully, the Junior Grizzlies program will increase our number of participants. We're hopeful that we'll have more than 300 kids to sign up."
According to Brock, the city has had about 200 participants in the past few years. The youth basketball season will run from Jan. 20-March 13, with games on weeknights, except for Wednesdays.
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