Three NYCHA Youth Basketball Teams Claim Junior Knicks League Championships

After 2,000 young NYCHA residents took to the basketball courts on 78 teams in the Junior Knicks Basketball League, six teams emerged to battle for this season’s league throne.  

In the end, teams from Carver Houses in Manhattan, Hammel Houses in Queens, and Bronx River Houses in the Bronx captured league championships in the 11-and-under division, 13-and-under division, and 15-and-under division, respectively. Carver’s team was victorious over a Hammel Houses squad, while the Hammel 12-13-year-olds defeated a Bronx River team and the Bronx River 14-15-year-olds won against a Penn-Wortman team in title games held on October 24 at the Johnson Community Center in East Harlem. 

The championships concluded the 2021 season of the co-ed Junior Knicks League, a modified restoration of the former citywide basketball league at NYCHA. Organized in partnership with Madison Square Garden Sports/Junior Knicks, the House of Mandela, and the NYPD, NYCHA’s Junior Knicks League took place at 26 sites across the Authority, including 14 newly refurbished basketball courts.  

“We are incredibly grateful to the many partners, parents, coaches, and children who made this league possible – and we look forward to seeing this exciting partnership continue for the benefit of NYCHA residents for many years to come,” NYCHA Chair and CEO Greg Russ said. 

Helping to close out the season at the Johnson Community Center was Knicks legend John Starks, who took part in an honorary game tip-off and distributed some of the winner trophies. Mr. Starks also attended the new league’s kickoff celebration in early September at Manhattan’s Wald Houses. 

The Junior Knicks League was initiated as an effort to showcase more than a dozen basketball courts across NYCHA that were refurbished thanks to $4 million in funding from the NYPD through asset forfeiture revenue provided by the District Attorney of New York. After Mayor Bill de Blasio provided $2 million to support the program and an anti-violence curriculum, the league was then expanded by an additional 14 NYCHA locations. Young residents from any NYCHA development were able to play. 

The newly upgraded courts and league competition were celebrated for providing opportunities for NYCHA youth to stay active and safe within their communities.  

“Investing in the social and emotional development of young people living in NYCHA developments takes many forms, and our partnership with the Junior Knicks Basketball League is a testament to our commitment in this sphere,” said NYCHA’s Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships Sideya Sherman.  

Curtis Williams, a Community Development Department staffer who previously ran the Authority’s former citywide league, also pointed to the wide-ranging benefits that athletic competition can provide for young NYCHA residents.  

“I definitely think it provided a positive platform for them and an opportunity to be engaged with something that will keep them out of trouble, but at the same time enhance their skills,” Mr. Williams said.  

The revival of citywide league play at NYCHA generated much excitement in the community, he said, noting that the Junior Knicks games brought back some of the same spirit from the old “housing” leagues. The Authority’s former league was among the largest in the tri-state area, attracting 3,000 youth across 250 teams every year and engaging more than 5,000 community members through the games and related events. 

“This has brought back some good vibes,” Mr. Williams said, adding that veteran referees indicated it “felt like old times” covering games. “It was definitely like deja-vu.”  

League games were played at all 26 NYCHA sites starting in late September, with playoffs beginning on October 9 to decide the finalists of the three age divisions. In addition, a group of 12-to-15-year-old Junior Knicks players from Penn-Wortman in Brooklyn had the special opportunity to test their skills on the Madison Square Garden court during a halftime scrimmage at a Knicks game on October 15.  

The spotlight moment allowed the young players to enjoy basketball at another level, Mr. Williams described, particularly for one athlete who slam dunked in front of the crowd.  

“When you have the entire Garden cheering for you and watching you, it brings about a different kind of excitement,” Mr. Williams said.  

Photo caption: Bronx River’s 15-and-under players were joined by Knicks legend John Starks to celebrate their league championship.