SOUTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Baller’s Elite is using basketball as a tool to keep Tallahassee youth safe, supported, and focused on their future.
- The program gives young men a safe place to go when they are not in school, keeping them busy, accountable, and off the streets.
- Players receive guidance from positive male role models through tutoring, mentorship, and life-skills development.
- Watch the video below to see what coaches and mentors say about how the program improves confidence, grades, and better decision-making.
Local basketball program creates safe space for Tallahassee youth
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
On this court, the scoreboard only tells part of the story, because for these young men, basketball is more than a game; it's a pathway.
I'm Lyric Sloan, your neighborhood reporter in Southwest Tallahassee, showing you how a local basketball program is pairing hoops with mentorship and tutoring, giving kids a safe place to grow, stay off the streets, and build a future.
In Tallahassee, some young men face long afternoons with nowhere to go. This sound is becoming a lifeline.
A local basketball program is stepping in, not just with drills and discipline, but with structure, safety, and purpose.
"Looking at today's youth, we need positive male role models. We need a positive outlet in the community. We need more mentors in the community," Steven Knight, Baller’s Elite Mentor and Basketball Director, said.
Ballers Elite, which has been around since 2002, is more than just a basketball team.
Along with practices, the program offers tutoring and mentorship.
Now they are expanding, keeping players accountable, supported, and surrounded by people who care.
"It means a lot because I got someone who cares for me, and makes sure I'm doing good," Ma’kaden Garrett, Baller's Elite Player, said.
For players like Roger Keyes, the impact goes far beyond the scoreboard.
"It just like keep me out of trouble, like keeps me from not going to jail or nothing," Keys said.
Otis Young, Senior Pastor at Kingdom Life Tabernacle, allows Baller's Elite to use the church as a meeting space.
He says the program focuses on the whole child, teaching responsibility, manners, and discipline, while exposing young men to opportunities they may not otherwise see.
And the results are showing up in the classroom.
"I've seen many of them have a renewed interest in life. In addition to that, I've seen many of them, oh man, turn their academics around, because they realize academics plays a major part in this," Young said.
To learn more about Baller's Elite or get involved, the best point of contact is 850-553-7882 or their Instagram at "ballerselite."
The program is open to all local youth and is currently seeking mentors and community support.
Knight tells me he's looking to expand the program to help young girls in the community as well.
Once he finds a women's basketball coach, he plans to get that effort underway.
In Southwest Tallahassee, Lyric Sloan, ABC 27.
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