A group of local volunteers hopes interest shown on the basketball court can help keep teens out of criminal court.

"Being from New Jersey, all we had was outdoor basketball," said Malcom Reed, who founded the non-profit D3 Community Outreach. "So we just work with young people as early as age 6 to the age of 21, 22."

Since 2005, Reed and a group of volunteers have helped put on the Hayti Basketball league, an outdoor basketball program meant to give students something to do during their summer break.

"The first year that we did it - we started out with 73 young people," Reed said. "We went from 73 young people to this past year having over 180 something young people that participated in the summer league."

With numbers growing each year, Reed and other volunteers are preparing for next year.

"Everything is free: from the uniforms that they play in to some of the water they've got here when they drink," Reed said. "When they come out to the park, they know that you're going to have some other adults invested in the well-being of these young people."

And through the game, they hope to create a cohesiveness that stands true in the classroom as well. For the last three years, those volunteers have also taken players on a college tour.

"This area of Durham ... there's a lot of people with nothing to do," Reed said. "It gives them a great opportunity to be a part of something. Ultimately, a young person is looking to be a part of something."

He said the main audience their targeting: gang members.

"Out of four years, even though we've had gangs from the same team playing together we've never had any fights," he said. "To me ... there's something bigger than the game, which is the team."

Volunteers like Marcotis Hall serve as referees.

"We haven't had one negative incident whatsoever," he said. "That's really a testament to Malcom ... they really do respect him."

For some like 19 year-old Giovonni Bell, playing for three years has been a learning experience.

"It teaches you how to take orders ... be motivated, to listen and play with your heart," he said.

Related Links

1. Comprehensive Gang Assessment
2. Recommendations From The Gang Assessment