Ten years ago, two graduates and classmates from Malabar decided to give back to their community through a basketball program. But they didn’t just want to play basketball; they wanted to inspire youth to read and to stay excited about learning as a group.
“Somebody did it for me when I was a kid. To give back to the community is awesome; we need more for our kids to do and we just want to give them the tools to succeed, you know,” said co-founder Jeff McCoy.
The five-week program aims to establish a group of young people who are eager to play basketball, but there is a catch: they must do their homework. Founders McCoy and Rondrea McCruter assign weekly readings from Sport’s Illustrated articles and variety of other articles found on the web. All of the reading has a focus on developing good sportsmanship and work ethic.
“We want to teach them those attributes- sportsmanship, leadership, teamwork; all those things that make you a hard worker. We’ve looked to Lebron [James] as an example of a person who gives,” shared McCoy. Even during his stint with the Miami Heat, James gave back to his hometown Akron through the Lebron James Family Foundation.
On Saturday, July 12, the youth from second to eighth grade played in a championship tournament to end the summer program. Team names included the Cavaliers, the Knicks, Spurs, Lakers, and the Heat.
The founders grew up together in Mansfield playing basketball. They each went to Malabar High School and played on the 1988 Final Four team. They also were part of the Head Start program as youngsters. Now, as adults with families here in Mansfield, it means a great deal to them to give back to their community.
“It means a lot from being here. Hopefully this gives them the chance to have dreams that are outside of Mansfield,” said McCruter.
The program takes place in the Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center’s gymnasium off Bowman Street. After the tournament on Saturday, the children received certificates for their achievements in both basketball and reading performance.
For more information on how to register for Hoops For Youth next year, email McCoy or McCruter at hoopsforyouth@yahoo.com. Visit their website for important dates.
“It means a lot from being here. Hopefully this gives them the chance to have dreams that are outside of Mansfield,” said McCruter.
