St. Frances Academy in East Baltimore will host an anti-violence youth basketball showcase on Saturday, the organizer said.
Bernie Vaughn, the high school's head junior varsity basketball coach, said the "HoopLife Against Violence" event orginated from an idea his players had more than a month ago. They'd been arguing over which class had the best basketball players, and they wanted to settle it with a day of scrimmages.
The idea later evolved into four games featuring 120 middle and high school student athletes from schools around the city, including Poly, Dunbar, Mount St. Joseph and Mount Carmel. The killing of popular Baltimore rapper Lor Scoota increased the urgency of the anti-violence initiative, Vaughn said.
Vaughn brought the idea to Team Melo, NBA star Carmelo Anthony's youth basketball program, which organized and sponsored the event alongside DTLR and Nike Air Jordan.
"I have a bunch of kids that not only go to St. Frances but in the Baltimore community, period," Vaughn said. "They're excited. They're Baltimore kids; they want our city to be great, to succeed."
The event is scheduled from 2-8 p.m. Saturday at St. Frances Academy. Organizers will collect $10 at the door, to be donated to charity, Vaughn said.
In addition to featuring talent from across the city, the teams will be coached by Baltimore-area coaches and former players, he said.
Keith Goode, an assistant coach at St. Frances, will lead the Class of 2017; Mark Karcher, a former professional player who coaches with Team Melo, will lead the Class of 2018; former George Washington forward Isaiah Armwood and former UMass forward Terrell Vinson will head two Class of 2019 teams; and St. Frances assistant coach Tremaine Kennerly and Baltimore United director Jamel Williams will coach the Class of 2020 teams, Vaughn said.
"The mission of this event is to acknowledge those who have overcome obstacles due to violence while also remembering those who we have lost," according to the event's website. "Baltimore is known for its undeniable talent and what better way to show the influence of basketball than with an event that will bring the community together while fostering the values of positivity and change."
The Baltimore Police Department, while not sponsoring the event, is a partner and will send a contingent of officers to support the event, a police spokeswoman said.
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