On Saturday, February 7th Los Angeles Sparks Head Coach Michael Cooper and General Manager Penny Toler got together at the YMCA in downtown Los Angeles to put a group of girls aged 12-15 through a skills and drills clinic. The clinic featured young girls who are members of the YMCA’s Shooting Sparks program, a basketball league that helps to promote positive role models for young girls.

“I’m really glad that I had a chance to be a part of this clinic. It was a great experience and a chance to reach out to the community on a special day in women’s sports,” said Michael Cooper.

“Coop” put the girls through a variety of drills that covered shooting, ball-handling and defense. He also spoke to them about the importance of education, hard work and determination. Each of the girls had a chance to go around the circle and tell what they wanted to work on. The top answer was “defense,” a Michael Cooper specialty.

“This clinic was great because not only did it give us an opportunity to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day but these kids had a chance to work hard and learn from Coop,” said GM Penny Toler.

At the conclusion of the clinic, each participant received a Sparks goodie bag and one lucky “knock-out” winner took home an autographed Lisa Leslie mini-ball.

All of the action from the Sparks clinic can be seen in the video below.