Elitus Basketball Academy News (October 2026)

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Elitus Academy Newsletter

October 2026 Edition

Hello Elitus Family,

This is Jo Kurino, Executive Director of Elitus Basketball Academy.

October marks an important transition for our Club Teams and Academy. The U15 season has come to an end, our U18 players continue to gain valuable experience, and we are also preparing to begin a new basketball initiative with MCCS Youth Sports.

As always, thank you to all of our players, families, coaches, and supporters who continue to be part of the Elitus journey.

October Calendar – New Colors for a New Chapter

Our October 2026 Academy and Club Team Calendar is now available.

You will notice a change to our calendar beginning this month.

With the conclusion of the U15 season, the U15 calendar will now be represented in BLACK◾️. Our U18 team—the Red Dynasty—will be RED 🟥, while our Elitus Basketball Academy classes will continue to be represented in BLUE 🟦.

As the fall season approaches, we also understand that many of our players will begin competing with their respective JV, Varsity, DoDEA, and international school teams.

We wish all of our players success as they transition into their school seasons. Continue working, stay healthy, and represent yourselves, your schools, and Elitus with pride.

U15 Season Comes to an End – Thank You to Our Leaders

Our U15 Club Team's season has officially come to an end following our loss in the Junior Winter Cup Okinawa Qualifiers.

While we always want to advance and compete for championships, this moment is also an opportunity to recognize how far our program has come. I especially want to thank our 15-year-old players who have helped lead this team over the past three years.

Their contributions go far beyond individual games or results. They helped establish the culture of our Club Team and played an important role in moving Elitus forward.

Because of the foundation they helped build, our program now has more players than ever before.

To our departing U15 players: thank you for your leadership, your commitment, and the time you invested into this program. What you helped build will continue with the players coming behind you. We hope the lessons and experiences you gained with Elitus will continue to help you in basketball and beyond.

October 17 – Elitus Players & Family Event

On Saturday, October 17, we will host a special gathering for our players and families at Awase Community Center.

The event will take place immediately following the 17:00 Academy session:

Date: Saturday, October 17 Time: 18:00–20:00 Location: Awase Community Center

Our parent group will help determine the details and format of the event, and additional information will be shared once everything has been finalized.

More than anything, we want this to be an opportunity for our players, parents, coaches, and families to spend time together away from regular practices and games.

We hope many of you can join us!

U18 Club Team – Continuing to Learn Through Competition

September provided our U18 Club Team with more opportunities to compete and learn.

The team had the opportunity to play against Kadena Township High School and Maehara High School. Both games provided valuable experience for our players and, most importantly, opportunities to learn.

This month, we look forward to games against Chatan High School and Hokubu Norin High School

Our objective remains the same: continue providing our U18 players with meaningful opportunities to compete, learn, and prepare themselves for the next level.

MCCS Basketball Academy – A New Chapter Begins

Following the success of this year's MCCS Summer Basketball Clinics, we are excited to take the next step in our partnership with MCCS Youth Sports.

This Fall/Winter, we will begin the MCCS Basketball Academy at Camp Foster.

The summer clinics gave us the opportunity to work with many young athletes and focus on the fundamentals of dribbling, passing, shooting, movement, and game application. We greatly appreciate MCCS Youth Sports, the participating families, and all of the players who helped make the summer program successful.

Now, we have an opportunity to build upon that foundation.

The MCCS Basketball Academy will operate Monday through Thursday at Camp Foster Court 1. Players participating in the Youth Sports basketball league will receive priority for registration.

The purpose of the Academy is not to replace team practices. Instead, it will give young athletes an opportunity to receive additional fundamental instruction alongside their regular team activities.

Players can practice with their teams while also getting extra repetitions and detailed instruction to strengthen the skills they need when they step onto the court for games.

The Academy can also provide an important preparation opportunity for players hoping to compete for Freshman and JV school teams. If tryouts are approaching, this is a chance to put additional work into your game before coaches begin their evaluations.

MCCS is working to provide a stronger developmental environment for youth basketball players, and Elitus is proud to assist in that effort.

Our goal is to help strengthen the basketball culture at the youth level by teaching the fundamentals, helping players understand the game, and giving young athletes the confidence to perform when their opportunities arrive.

You can Sign-up here:

https://www.okinawa.usmc-mccs.org/activity/d7d9d60e-d1d1-49db-8410-0024e42546cf

Thank you to everyone who continues to believe in and support what we are building at Elitus.

Find Your Power to Perform.

Push to Propel!

Jo Kurino Executive Director Elitus Basketball Academy

ELITUS BASKETBALL ACADEMY

CALENDAR

We are pleased to release the October 2026 calendars for both the Academy and Club Teams.

ELITUS CLUB TEAM

CALENDAR

ACADEMY STRUCTURE

ーAbout Our Coursesー

Club Team & Academy Class Separation

To create the best possible environment for all players, we will implement the following structure:

Fundamental Class players will be separated from Club Team players.
U15 Club Team players will participate in:The Experience Class, and/orThe Advanced Class

This structure allows us to:

Provide more individualized instruction to beginner players
Create an environment that is both fun and challenging
Allow players to develop confidently without unnecessary pressure

More Live Play & Game-Based Training

Moving forward, Academy sessions will include more:

Live Play
Small-Sided Games

These additions will provide players with more opportunities to apply their skills in game-like situations.

However, skill development and retention will remain our highest priority. The more focused players are during the fundamental skill portions of practice, the more time we can dedicate to competitive and game-based activities later in the session.

FUNDAMENTAL CLASS

Ages: 7–13
Level: Beginners / Early-Stage Players
Focus: Fun, confidence, basic basketball skills, movement development, and game understanding.

EXPERIENCE CLASS

Ages: 10–15
Level: Experienced elementary school and middle school players
Focus: Skill development, decision-making, game concepts, and competitive mindset.

ADVANCED CLASS

Ages: 12–17
Level: Advanced elementary school, middle school, and high school players
Focus: Game-speed execution, advanced skill development, situational decision-making, and preparation for higher levels of competition.

We are seeking U18 Players!

Goals for 2026

Increase the number of games played (targeting approximately 12–24 games per year)
Expand travel and tournament opportunities
Build a diverse team that is not limited by nationality or foreign-player restrictions

Recommended for Players Who:

Want detailed instruction from specialized coaches
Are looking for an environment where every player receives a fair opportunity to compete
Value balancing academics and athletics
Are seeking a club team that offers scheduling flexibility
Want an additional place to develop outside of their school team