SAN ANTONIO – A community basketball game is the hook, but for Troy Smith and Charles Sattiewhite, it’s an open door to help be a good influence on young men between 17 and 25 years old.
On Friday, the first Community Basketball League game was played at the Champion Sportsplex on the East Side.
Sattiewhite and Smith, leaders of the nonprofits San Antonio Rising Stars and Walk a Mile in My Shoes, respectively, have been working on this community league project for years. It’s a vision to help young men from troubled neighborhoods find role models and get opportunities they didn’t have before.
“You know, so we go out there, and we talk to them and say, listen, we have an opportunity, but you have to want to help yourself,” Smith said.
The men will be expected to show up to play, work together, and may have an opportunity to be flown to New York City to play against a team there.
During the eight-week league, the young me will be exposed to programs and classes that will help prepare them for job interviews and other opportunities.
“We don’t want them to just play basketball. We want them to be involved in the community,” Smith explained.
Sattiewhite said the easy part was finding players to be a part of the league. The hard part was getting the community to believe in what they’re trying to help them become.
Click here to find out when the next games are being played and support the league.