EAST LONGMEADOW – East Longmeadow children who want to play basketball must wait until they are 7 years old and in first grade in play on the town’s youth basketball team. Rather than starting at age 7 from scratch, the East Longmeadow Recreation Department teaches little kids the basics in “Bitty Basketball.”

The course consists of different stations to teach the various aspects of basketball. The sessions include 45 minutes of drills followed by a 15-minute “full-court relay race to get out the rest of their energy,” Gary DeStephano of the East Longmeadow Recreation Department said. They also practice a “word of the week” to think about after they leave, such as friendship, caring or family.

DeStephano and another coordinator, Dave Mackin, run the program, which is for 4, 5 and 6-year-old kids. The kids are split with the 4-year-olds in the first one-hour block and the older ones in the second hour.

 “The 4-year-olds are a little sillier,” DeStephano said. “The 5 and 6-year-olds, man, they’re all business, you know. They’ve been in the program for two or three years and know what to do.” He added, “There’s no pressure. If they just want to sit on the floor with the ball, they can.”

This year’s Bitty Basketball program is winding down at the end of January. Sign up for the next session is at the beginning of December and the program runs six Saturdays from mid-December to the end of January.

This is the program’s seventh year. The first year, DeStephano said, there were 20 kids. This year roster has 50 children in each one-hour block. There is also a waiting list. DeStephano said if there are enough kids on the waiting list next year he will have to open up a third block of time.

“The program, in seven years, has really blossomed,” said DeStephano, a volunteer assistant high school varsity boys’ basketball coach and a former high school coach for 10 years. He said kids come back each year and “it’s great to see the progression.”

DeStephano sometimes brings high school players to visit and help the young kids. He also tries to get the Bitty Basketball parents to support his varsity team’s games.

“Obviously, not all of them will stick with it and play varsity, but some will be great players,” DeStephano said. He said the program also serves another purpose.

“A good coach, a good mentor is a positive experience in a kid's life,” he said. “It's a great way of giving back.”