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The Atlanta Hawks debuted their Jr. Hawks Summer Shooting Clinic on June 4 (Photo provided by Atlanta Hawks). " data-image-caption data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?fit=450%2C283&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C491&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2.jpg?resize=780%2C491&ssl=1" alt="The Atlanta Hawks debuted their Jr. Hawks Summer Shooting Clinic on June 4 (Photo provided by Atlanta Hawks)." class="wp-image-307113" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C645&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=450%2C283&ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C484&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C968&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1290&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C756&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C378&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1260&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C491&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C252&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C445&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C94&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/roughdraftatlanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-Launch-Jr.-Hawks-Shooting-Clinic-Program-to-Empower-Youth-Athletes-with-Specialized-Shooting-Instruction-2-1024x645.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px">
The Atlanta Hawks debuted their Jr. Hawks Summer Shooting Clinic on June 4 (Photo provided by Atlanta Hawks).
The Atlanta Hawks debuted their Jr. Hawks Summer Shooting Clinic on June 4 at Norcross High School. Throughout the evening, young basketball players developed their shooting skills, listened to advice from NBA alumni, and enjoyed basketball fun.
“We want to teach these kids the very basic fundamentals of basketball, make them become better shooters, and put them on the right path to success,” Jon Babul, vice president of Community Impact and Basketball Programs for the Hawks, said.
This new clinic series was designed for kids aged 8 to 15 of any skill level, and aims to teach them how to shoot efficiently and effectively with instruction from Atlanta Hawks Youth Basketball Development Coaches.
“This is the first time we’ve done evening programming during the summer, and all five of our clinics are already sold out,” Babul said. “The Hawks are engaging almost 600 new children through this program, and that’s incredibly impactful.”
The two hour sessions includes live play, but is more focused on fundamentals related to shooting and skill building. According to Babul, the program was created to meet a growing demand for more accessible and focused basketball training programs for Atlanta youth.
“The landscape of youth basketball is focused on competitive play, which is great, but there’s limited opportunity for kids to learn the fundamentals and actually get some drills and skills to take home and work on,” Babul said. “We wanted to do clinics that had two hours focused specifically on shooting fundamentals.”
During the June 4 session, the participants were split up into four groups that rotated through different shooting stations. The coaches gave personalized feedback to each kid, built up their confidence, and celebrated their achievements.
Another unique aspect of this program is that each one will feature notable Atlanta Hawks alumni. These players serve as role models to the kids and can give invaluable advice on what it takes to make it to the NBA.
For this first clinic, former Hawks guard Sedric Toney made an appearance and spoke to the kids, hoping to inspire the next generation of basketball players.
“Someone helped me when I was growing up and I hope to return the favor,” Toney said. “Maybe one of these kids will listen to my advice and run with [it], and we may watch them in the NBA one day.”
Each child that attends this program leaves with an Atlanta Hawks swag bag and access to a virtual training platform for continued practice at home.
“We hope every child leaves as a better shooter and becomes more confident in their game,” Babul. “That’s what this program is really about.”
The Norcross clinic was the first of five metro Atlanta locations set for this program. The remaining clinics will take place in Decatur, College Park, Austell, and Atlanta.
More information about youth programming offered by the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Academy can be found here.