Syracuse, NY – On October 15th, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and NBA star and ex-Orange Carmelo Anthony dedicated a new basketball court in Schiller Park, as part of their Courts 4 Kids charity.
“Refurbishing this court,”Anthony said at the time, “gives these kids the opportunity to escape from every day life, and just be kids.”
A trip out to Schiller Park on Tuesday showed that the court is also giving kids the opportunity to enjoy a new sport, in a new home. Around fifteen Somalian immigrant students, ranging in age from 7 to 15, could be seen bounding around the court for hours, playing a game well familiar to Americans–but not so common in Somali.
SOMALI BBALL from Newhouse BDJ on Vimeo
“We come here every day to play basketball,” said Abdullahi, 15, a student at Nottingham High School. “Before I came I only played soccer, but now I get to America, and I don’t like soccer. I like basketball.”
Jim Boeheim/Carmelo K. Anthony Court
Abdullahi certainly has a first-rate facility where he can work on his game. The court, located in south Schiller Park, is painted bright blue, with shining white backboards and enough signs and sponsors to rival an NBA arena.
Time Warner Cable, along with McDonalds, Wegmans, and charities run by Boeheim and Anthony, are just a few of the groups who pitched in to refurbish the court.
Now, the court in Schiller Park is one of the nicest in Syracuse–and despite their relative unfamiliarity with basketball, the pristine quality of the court is not lost on the Somali students.
“The old one was red, but this one is better,” said Weli, fourteen. “It’s pretty, and we can play here all the time.”
Like Abdullahi, Weli also takes pride in his newfound basketball skills.
“I am the best,” Weli said with a grin. “(The other kids) can shoot, but they can’t do this,” Weli said, pretending to dribble between his legs in the popular fashion of America’s greatest hoopsters. “I am the only one.”
Holiday Hooping
Weli and his friends were playing basketball at mid-day on a Tuesday because they were out of school celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which means “Festival of Sacrifice.”
And you chose to spend your holiday playing basketball?
“Yeah,” Weli said, still grinning. “We had a game earlier, and I won.”
The court is the second Boeheim and Anthony have teamed up to refurbish and dedicate to the city. The other is in Wilson Park.
“It’s a small step,” Boeheim said at the time of the Wilson dedication, “but it’s still a positive step for kids.”
By the looks of the activity at Schiller Park on Tuesday, Boeheim would be grateful to know the Somali students are using his court to make huge strides in the game of basketball, and enjoying life in America.
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