Brewer High School girls varsity basketball coach Tom Winston, saying “no experience is necessary” will direct his first Brewer Girls Summer Basketball Clinic through the Brewer Rec Department for girls of all abilities.

The clinic for girls entering grades four through six will be held June 17-20 and June 24-26 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Girls entering grades seven and eight will participate the same weeks, but from 10 a.m. to noon.

Winston, Brewer’s second-year head coach, emphasized that girls do not have to be a member of any team to participate, and he hopes they will “just come and enjoy the experience.”

A $25 fee will be charged for this clinic, which is open to girls enrolled in the Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Dedham and Airline school systems.

Three, one-week clinics will be held for girls entering grades nine through 12. Those dates are June 17-21, July 8-12, and July 15-19. Because the high school students were able to raise funds for this clinic, no fee will be charged.

The first day of the clinic for the younger girls will be held at Brewer High School with a complete schedule set at that time.

Winston said interested individuals should obtain a registration form as soon as possible. Those can be obtained by calling him at work (989-8660) or at home (989-3876) or by picking them up at the Brewer Rec Department at Brewer Auditorium. Registration forms can be mailed to Winston or presented the first day of the clinic.

Brewer High varsity players will assist their coach during the grade-school clinics. The first meeting of each of those clinics will be at Brewer High School and a final schedule announced at that time.

Basic skill instruction is what Winston and his players will offer the youngsters.

“We really want to keep it down to basics and try to individualize some,” he said. “We will give them drills they can take home and use in their practice. Something to work on during the summer.”

Winston hopes the girls “will come in with the idea of just looking to pick up a thing or two to help become a little bit better player, get to know me and become interested in our program. This should be a chance for them to learn what we do, and what type of program we run.”

The clinic for the older girls will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Brewer High School. Again, Winston emphasized that interested individuals “do not have to be a member of any team. You don’t have to be a basketball player to attend.”

In fact, he’s looking for some new people.

“I really want to encourage young kids, who maybe aren’t sure they could make varsity, that they have a chance. One of the things we’re really going to work on next year is our shooting. If you become a good shooter, there is a place for you on varsity.”

Winston said about the high school clinic, “We’re going to get specific with individuals and give them some things they need to work hard on for next season. We’ll have some pickup games, but it still will be a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. Hopefully, the girls will come in with an I-want-to-improve attitude.”

The busy Brewer summer basketball schedule also includes a team weekend July 5-7 at Northern Maine Technical College in Presque Isle with several Aroostook County teams.

“We’ll be taking two teams up there,” Winston said. “The kids will be playing games Friday evening and all day Saturday. On Sunday we’ll mix up the players and try to find some combinations we night be able to use. We’ll be staying on campus, so this will be more than just a basketball experience for these kids. We’re looking forward to that.

“It’s important to see yourselves as more than just a team and a coach. It should be fun.”