DEMOPOLIS &045; There is a youth basketball tournament at the Theo Ratliff Activity Center this week.

The clinic, which has youths ranging seven and 11, started Monday and will run through tomorrow. Ricky Richardson, who is a coach at U.S. Jones Elementary School, is in charge of the week’s activities.

Richardson says that the clinic is a yearly event that has been going on for quite a while. He said that the clinic is a good precursor to the youth basketball season that holds its games at the same facility.

Richardson said that the clinic, which has four instructors, also tries to teach the children defensive and offensive drills that can improve their game. He said a that builds the skills that the children will need to have for team basketball play prior to the start season for their seven to 12-year-olds.

Richardson says that the league is a good way for children to build skills before they move into school-sponsored teams. He says that there has been a big improvement in the level of play in school sports by the players that move up from the youth league.

Richardson said that he is an assistant coach for the Linden High School basketball team, and that he has seen the effects in the play there.