‘Fun and community.’ This youth basketball league aims to bridge Sacramento communities

Lorenzo Washington, a coach in the Kings and Queens Rise Co-Ed Youth Sports and Mentoring League, begins each practice by discussing one of the topics from the league-wide curriculum, such as leadership, loyalty, or teamwork.

The Sacramento youth recreational summer basketball league provides mentorship to kids in hopes to prevent and interrupt violence among young people in the region, while they’re out of school.

“We choose one topic (and) we have that conversation,” Washington said. “We may give them a little insight about it to see where the conversation goes and just kind of see what they understand about it.”

Currently in its fifth season, the league was formed in partnership with the Sacramento Kings and Sacramento organizations including Sierra Health Foundation, Black Child Legacy Campaign and My Brother’s Keeper of the Obama Foundation.

Kenneth Duncan, the league commissioner, said that the league was formed after community leaders came together in response to the March 2018 killing of Stephon Clark, who was shot in his grandmother’s backyard after Sacramento Police Department officers mistook his cellphone for a gun.

Duncan has been with the youth league for since its beginning serving different roles including coach, mentor, and in-game announcer where he provides positive encouragement to the kids competing against each other.

“We’re just trying to create a safe space for kids on Saturdays,” Duncan said. “We’re here from 8 to 5 and our mission is really to build bridges between different neighborhoods and communities to prevent violence.”

The league is made up of eight youth teams featuring players between fourth and 10th grade that represent different neighborhoods across the Sacramento region. Each area has three levels: elementary, middle, and high school.

Those areas include: Arden Arcade, Del Paso Heights, Foothill Farms-North Highlands, Fruitridge-Stockton, Upper Land Park, Meadowview, Oak Park and Valley-Hi/North Laguna.

The goal for Duncan is to continue to build those bridges across different neighborhoods.

“Kids from Marina Vista and Oak Park should not be scared to go to Meadowview because of their uncle’s problems,” Duncan said. “We’re trying to really bring down those barriers and help kids understand that we all are the same and we’re all one community. We’re eight different neighborhoods, but we’re one community.”

All of the games and practices take place at different locations throughout Sacramento. The season will conclude with a tournament hosted by the Kings at Golden 1 Center.

More than a game

Duncan told The Bee that practice, and sometimes the games too, are used as an entry to get kids into the space to have tough conversations and practice life skills that come with the sport.

Duncan and other coaches wrote a league curriculum that focuses on core values such as non-violence, identity, and teamwork.

“So this is a totally different league. Kids get sat down and taught a curriculum during practice to really help balance and emphasize that this is bigger than basketball,” Duncan said. “We’re trying to prevent murders in the city.”

Washington tries to implement different perspectives and understandings about the weekly topics discussed with his Arden Arcade team.

He said the main initiative is to create a safe, positive space for the youth in the summer when they get out of school. He wants the kids to be able to go back to their families, their homes, and schools as a leader and not succumb to peer pressures.

“If kids don’t have anything to do, they’re going to find something to do,” Washington said. “Our goal is to kind of give them something to do something (that’s) positive.”

Like the coaches around the league, Washington looks to instill postive values to the kids, giving them a chance to grow.

“That’s definitely what we’re looking for, we’re big on leaders here,” Washington said. “I love your jump shot getting better. I love your handles getting better. I love (to see) you locking up better. But I want to see you be a leader.”

‘Something fun’

It’s catered towards youth from designated neighborhoods, but children from outside those communities can also sign up.

TeyJaun Carter has been playing basketball since he was 4. For the last three summers, he’s played in the Kings and Queens Rise league.

Carter, who is from Elk Grove, enjoys the league because he has the opportunity to meet and connect with other people from different areas, like Meadowview. This season, he played for the Oak Park team.

“The league is good. They talk a lot about working together,” Carter said. “I’ve been meeting new people every year, so it’s just something fun I like to do to play the game that I love.”

He made friends through the league.

Carter is going into the 10th grade and will attend Sheldon High School in August.

“I’m going to play every year until I can’t. I like to do it. It’s fun,” Carter said. “Even if you’re not good, they work on your skills with you to get you better. So even if you’re not good, this is something fun that you could do.”

Alaziah Akinmurele likes the league because she can get a good experience on and off the court.

“It teaches you to have fun,” Akinmurele said. “It teaches you about sportsmanship and everything.”

She went to Elk Grove High School, but she will go to Fortune for the start of her 10th grade year.

She said the league has been making her better.

“It makes me better for the season since this is co-ed. It makes me get tougher because I’m playing against boys. Not everything is about just playing against girls and the same gender. You have to be better. It makes you better overall,” Akinmurele said.