By Annaliza Guard and Madison
Marquardt
Bengal News West Reporters
In
2014, after 20 years of being held in Buffalo, the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball
Tournament was moved out of downtown and away from the city’s youth.
Erie
County Legislator Betty Jean Grant (D, Buffalo) saw the void that the “Macker”
had left, and decided that she would not only replace the tournament, she would
solve its problems.
The “Macker” was often criticized for its high registration
costs, and for bringing violence and crime into the city.
 |
| Buff City Hoops games will be held on the West Side |
Last
year was the beginning of a now annual program called Buff City Hoops, a
structured basketball tournament centered around providing children with a safe
summer activity.
“We
want to promote a safe summer,” Grant said.
“We’re trying to get them to look forward to safe activities during the
summer. By them playing basketball that
particular day or night, it keeps them off the street corners, it gets them to
an environment where they know they are loved, they are respected and their
voices matter.”
Buff
City Hoops is open to children from all neighborhoods, ages 8 to 18.
“We come into their neighborhood,” said Esther
Smothers, Buff City Hoops fundraising chair. “We’re saying we care about you,
we’re coming to you.”
The
program runs several games and tournaments throughout Buffalo over a six-week
period, including at the West Side Community Services
Center.
“When
you donate to Buff City Hoops, you’re donating to your neighborhood and your
community. We’re going to be in a
community center or basketball court nearest you, so you’re actually impacting
and changing the environment you live in,” said Smothers.
The
league culminates in a final championship tournament. Last year’s tournament was held Aug. 28 in
Masten Park.
“We
had 500 youth in the park, all day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” Grant said. “Not one
ill word, not one fight. They were able
to play together, so sportsmanship played a large part in it.”
But
the program is about more than just basketball. Grant wanted to create a
program that would build character among participants too.
“During
the six-week league, we have motivational speakers, conflict resolution
specialists and violence prevention speakers.
They meet once a week to impact and change their lives from the inside
out,” Smothers said.
The
program depends on the local community for support. A fundraiser banquet was held April 21 at the
Metropolitan Entertainment Complex on the West Side.
In
addition to utilizing websites like Facebook and GoFundMe to generate support,
the program has partnered with local businesses like Bak USA. The Buffalo-based technology company donated tablets to
last year’s winning teams.
“We
sponsored it because we really wanted to give back to the community,” said
Director of Administration Eva Bak. “We wanted to support young people who are
using their summers to improve themselves and are competing in a team sport.”
The
program needs the support of the community because participants are not charged
to join, unlike the Gus Macker, which charged $130-150 per team. The money goes towards the kids’ t-shirts as
well as the permits for the parks where they play.
This
year even more participants are expected due to promotion of the program. Even with the increase in players, program
leaders still want to maintain the same values and key principles that
were fundamental in making the program a success in its first year.
“We
expect them to be as nice as they were last year,” Grant said. “They can play
together without being combative, they can play as a team, they can be
disciplined and they can be respectful.”
