The Utah Jazz create Lady Notes, an organization to promote girls basketball

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz organization has invested in youth basketball for many years.  Now, they’ve created the Lady Notes organization aimed specifically at helping girls stay interested in the sport.

Lady Notes Girls Basketball Director Amber Whiting said that, right now, basketball is losing girls to sports like volleyball and soccer and she’d like to see that change.

“Just giving girls good experiences in basketball, so they want to keep coming back and keep growing and developing,” Whiting told KSL, “and If they develop and grow and have success on the court, then they’re more likely to keep coming back.”

Whiting says they are not trying to compete with other basketball organizations.

“We’re basically providing a pathway that’s more structured and disciplined,” she said. “It works almost harmoniously together between bantam, club, and high school teams.”

One of the challenges Lady Notes faces is that the other organizations all play on the same night. Girls have to choose which group to participate with.

“I … am going to try to manipulate the calendar so that the bantam kids and club kids aren’t playing the same night so they [don’t have to] pick or choose,” Whiting said. “If we can put them one night of the week and the other one the other night of the week, it helps them.”

Whiting said there are other ways to ensure that Lady Notes Girls Basketball succeeds.

“We’re going to have provide leagues, provide clubs … provide tournaments and provide … a fall high school league that these kids will have opportunities to come play in to grow and develop and just give more opportunities,” she said.

Whiting hopes that as these girls are able to play more together as a team that they will bond and create friendships that will keep them in the sport. And she said that by playing more, the girls will have a chance to get better.

“Our team camp [is] providing that opportunity to come and have experiences,” she said, “play games and build meaningful memories with each other.”

Whiting says anyone who wants to get involved, or just wants more information can visit the Lady Notes website.

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