Bermuda’s young basketball players will get a great opportunity to receive mentorship from Grant Wiederin, a United States collegiate basketball coach.

Wiederin, the assistant coach of the Loras College Duhawks, will conduct sessions for the island’s young stars at the Mount Saint Agnes Academy Gymnasium on Saturday and Sunday.

According to Gladstone Simons, the Bermuda Under-16 coach, Wiederin developed an interest in working with Bermudian budding talent when he saw them at the Battle of the Beach Tournament in the Cayman Islands two months ago.

“We met Grant Wiederin in Cayman Islands when we went for the Battle of the Beach Tournament,’’ Simons said. “He was one of the coaches down there to observe and look at players.

“We had a chance to meet and work him, with some of our players that were on the under-16 team. He liked the resilience and discipline of our players.

“We took a younger team to the tournament, they were a year or two younger than most of the players. He just admired their resolve and determination.

“He just wants to get a chance to come to Bermuda and work with some of our players that are in the national team programme.

“He’s also opened it up to some of the children who are not in our national junior programme.”

During the two-day mentorship, Wiederin is expected to give the island’s up-and-coming players insight into expectations from collegiate coaches.

“Our players will get feedback from a college coach as to what colleges are looking at as far as recruitment of players that want to play at the next level,’’ Simons said.

“The sessions are running from 4pm to 7pm on both days. He’ll be taking them through individual drills, showing them some of the things that coaches look for at the collegiate level.

“He’ll be talking about nutrition, fitness and individual workouts, defence and team concepts of that nature.

“Most of our under-16 national players will be there. We have five boys in boarding school in the United States and Canada, so those five won’t be able to attend.

“We also opened this to players that are on the under-18 team went to Canada. Those on the island have been invited to attend this clinic.

“We have also invited younger players that are looking to join our national junior programme.

“Players are paying $40 that covers both days. We wanted to keep the cost low so that we can get other people that may not know about the programme, that may be interested in joining the national junior programme.”