What do you get when you combine a former professional international basketball player with the Wareham High School varsity girls basketball team and nearly 40 youth players?

A really fun basketball clinic!

The up-and-coming basketball stars, all girls in elementary school and middle school, worked on dribbling and shooting at the free Sunday, January 7, clinic.

"All of the things that'll make you be a better player," said Chris Rojik, a Plymouth native who is enjoying his first year of retirement from a professional basketball team based in Germany.

Rojik is the son of Robert Rojik, coach of the Wareham High School varsity girls basketball team. Members of the high school team assisted the Rojiks in helping the youth players sharpen their skills.

"What was really important in my childhood was I went to two [annual] basketball camps," Rojik told the players. "Try to learn at least one thing."

Rojik started the players with some warm-up drills which had them sitting down and dribbling the ball with only their fingertips as well as rotating the ball between their knees in a "figure 8" move. (The "figure 8" was met with a loud, trepidatious "Ohhh..." from the girls.)

The players also learned -- and demonstrated -- why it's important to keep your elbow underneath the ball when shooting a basket.

"Elbow underneath the ball helps you shoot the ball straight," Rojik said.

And many learned why following through -- straightening out your arm when shooting a basket -- was especially important. If you don't, the ball doesn't go where you want it to go!

Eleven-year-old Sarah Perry, who is in her first season with the Wareham JBA's Bobby Thornton Memorial Winter League, learned more than dribbling and shooting on Sunday.

"It turned out, I was a lefty!" she said, explaining that her dominant hand in basketball is the opposite of the hand she writes with.

She noted, "I learned how to shoot better," before adding that the most difficult part of the clinic was "dribbling under the legs."

"Today was a great job," Rojik told the participants before wrapping up the clinic and having them huddle and chant "hard work!" on the count of three.

Robert Rojik said the clinic was a success, helping the participants to "work on fundamentals."

After all, they may be heading his way in a few years!

The Wareham High School varsity girls basketball team and the Rojiks plan to offer another free clinic in the coming weeks. Check upcoming issues of Wareham Week and WarehamVillageSoup.com to see when it will be held!