Over 700 12- and 13-year-old boys and girls from all over Brooklyn participated in the First Annual Brooklyn Sports Alliance Tournament in November 2006. The week long competition culminated with four division championship games on Saturday, November 11 at Xaverian High School. FCRC helped establish the BSA, a not-for-profit organization that promotes athletics, education and personal development among youths living or going to school in Brooklyn.
Saint Vincent Ferrer athlete (in blue) helps his team win the Rookie Boys Division at the First Annual Brooklyn Sports Alliance (BSA) Tournament, November 2006
Forest City Ratner and the Nets teamed up with the young ladies of Williamsburg at the annual Girls’ Basketball camp conducted at Our Lady of Mount Carmel during the last week of August.
The girls of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Dozens of 9- to 14-year-old boys and girls learned about basketball, nutrition and life lessons at the Nets/FCRC basketball clinic at the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club. Former Net Dwayne “Pearl” Washington was on hand to give sports tips and advice on life.
Brooklyn native and former Net Dwayne "Pearl" Washington gives advice on basketball and life
The Big Apple Games served as a backdrop for the Nets/FCRC clinic held at Tilden High School, where over 80 players received tips on everything from preparation to teamwork.
Young players learn the "art of defense," July 2006
Brooklyn native and former Net Dwayne “Pearl” Washington joined FCRC and the Nets at a free basketball clinic in East Flatbush at the Brooklyn Athletic Club on Thursday, July 13, 2006. Future Net hopefuls enjoyed an educational and athletic day.
Dwayne "Pearl" Washington faces some defense, July 2006
The Nets and FCRC sponsored a basketball clinic at the Williamsburg Community Center, where young boys and girls had a fun-filled, educational day learning from former Net star and Brooklyn native Albert King.
Brooklyn native and former Net Albert King joins in the Q&A, July 2006
New York State Assemblyman Karim Camara and former Net Albert King were on hand for the St. John’s Recreation Center in Crown Heights for the “Shoot Hoops Not Guns” championship basketball game.
"Shoot Hoops Not Guns" 2006 champs, June 2006
Former Net standout Darryl Dawkins joined State Senator Marty Golden and Xaverian Athletic Director Jeff O’Brien in welcoming over 80 boys and girls from throughout Brooklyn to the Nets Basketball Clinic at Xaverian. Darryl’s message to the young players was study hard, play hard and have fun.
"Study hard, play hard and have fun," Nets alum Darryl Dawkins told the crowd, June 2006
Brooklyn hoops legend and former Net Dwayne “Pearl” Washington visited the Nets Basketball Clinic at the Police Athletic League (PAL) Miccio Center to teach the young players about basketball, teamwork and discipline.
Former Net Dwayne "Pearl" Washington talks to Brooklyn youths about basketball, teamwork and discipline, June 2006
As the Nets battled in the playoffs, over 200 boys and girls ages 9 to 15 gathered at the Brownsville Recreation Center for a free basketball clinic featuring special appearances by former Nets greats Darryl Dawkins and Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, and playground legend James “Fly” Williams.
Over 200 kids participated in the Nets/FCRC Basketball Clinic, May 2006
Students around the country were encouraged to engage in extracurricular activities as part of the annual “TV Turn-Off Week.” Here at home, former Net and Brooklyn native Albert King hosted a basketball clinic for the students of P.S. 321, giving parents and students alike the opportunity to exercise and improve their game.
Former Net Albert King and P.S. 321 students during TV Turn-Off Week, May 2006
Bishop Ford High School in Park Slope was the site of this co-ed clinic for kids ages 9 to 13. Both former Liberty great Kym Hampton and former Nets star Albert King were on hand to give kids lessons about life both on and off the court.
Former WNBA star Kym Hampton and former Net great Albert King at the Nets/FCRC Basketball Clinic, April 2006
Darryl Dawkins joined Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at Borough Hall to congratulate the Abraham Lincoln High School boys varsity basketball team on winning the Public School Athletic League City Championship, Class A, at Madison Square Garden.
Former Nets star Darryl Dawkins, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the winning team, April 2006
FCRC and the Nets headed to Staten Island to give more than 70 high school girls from private, public and parochial schools the chance to pick up some new skills with coaching from special guests Kym Hampton (New York Liberty) and Stephanie Gaitley (Long Island University’s head coach).
Former New York Liberty great Kym Hampton shows she's still got the moves, March 2006
FCRC kicked off the new year by co-sponsoring Brooklyn USA Basketball’s National High School Classic over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. The tournament matched high school teams from around the nation against some of Brooklyn’s best, including Wagner, Susan McKinley, Samuel Tilden and Westinghouse Academy.
Former Nets Star and Brooklyn native Albert King at the Brooklyn USA Classic, January 2006
FCRC and Long Island University hosted the Seventh Annual Brooklyn Basketball Challenge, bringing together high schools from around the borough to play hard and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day together. All proceeds from the event benefited the youth development programs of Youth America Inc. and the Right Bounce organization. This year’s event included teams from Harry Van Ardsdale, Hempstead, Canarsie, Valley Stream Central, Bishop Loughlin and Benjamin Banneker high schools.
Banneker High School's MVP at the Seventh Annual Brooklyn Basketball Challenge, January 2006
“My dream is to play pro ball,” said Armani Cardwood, a 13-year-old Brownsville resident and I.S. 323 student, as he hit the court at St. Francis College in downtown Brooklyn. Armani was one of 100 participants who spent a week learning new skills and sportsmanship at last summer’s free basketball clinic hosted by FCRC and the Nets.
Former Nets great Darryl Dawkins leads the team cheer at a Nets Basketball Clinic, July 2005
FCRC and the Nets teamed up with Basketball City, New York’s premiere basketball facility, to host a free two-day basketball clinic for local boys and girls, ages 10 to 14. The clinic included a guest presentation from professional shooting instructor Dave “The Shooting Wizard” Hopla and a special appearance by Brooklyn native Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, who attended Boys and Girls High School and later played for the Nets.
Boys and girls ages 10 to 14 participated in the Nets Basketball Camp, April 2005
The top junior high and high school basketball players on the East Coast–from New England to Florida to right here at home in Brooklyn–hooped it up at Long Island University’s Schwartz Center for a weekend showcase that also included photo shoots, interviews, career fairs and community service work, in addition to a lot of great basketball.
Career fairs, community service and basketball, of course, at the Right Bounce Basketball Showcase, June 2005
