Former WNBA player Samantha Prahalis-Holmes recently hosted a two‑day, free basketball clinic in Hauppauge, drawing roughly 30 girls from grades six through eight.
Now serving as the girls basketball head coach at The Stony Brook School, Prahalis-Holmes used the event to share fundamentals, spark enthusiasm and give back to the community that shaped her.
Clinic Activities
The sessions featured stations on passing, shooting, dribbling and the classic three‑man weave drill, each designed to build skill while keeping the atmosphere fun and collaborative.
Parents praised the clinic for keeping their children off screens and fostering social connections, noting the positive impact on their kids' confidence and teamwork.
Michael Pelan, athletic director at Malverne, highlighted Prahalis-Holmes' dedication and loyalty, calling her a role model for young athletes.
Having enjoyed a historic college career at Ohio State — where she topped the Big Ten in assists with 901 — and a three‑year WNBA stint before turning to coaching, Prahalis-Holmes said the mental side of the game and leadership are what drive her now.
She plans to continue the free clinics on Long Island, seeing them as a lasting way to nurture the next generation of girls' basketball players.
The growing interest, reflected in the clinic's turnout, signals a bright future for the sport among young women in the region.