The North Ward Center capped its first season at the The North Ward Center Youth Development Complex at St. Lucy’s Church with an awards banquet for the 240 players in North Ward Center’s basketball program.
More than 370 children and their parents turned out for the Jan. 15 event at the gym. The event began with lunch and ended with the awarding of hundreds of trophies to the children ages 5 to 12 who participated in the program, which runs from September to mid December.
The North Ward Center began leasing an underutilized gym in St. Lucy’s Community Center on 7th Avenue in the Spring. Rashard Casey, the director of the North Ward Center’s Youth Development and Leadership Program, said having the gym made a world of difference for the children.
“In the past, we used various gyms around the city,” Casey said. “Now we can use the gym when we want, rather than having to schedule our games and practices around other leagues and teams.”
The North Ward Center basketball league consists of three divisions, the Junior Pee Wee, Pee Wee and Biddy. Teams in the Pee Wee division are named after universities and teams in the Biddy division are named after NBA teams. In the Pee Wee division, Rutgers University won the league championship and the Knicks won the league championship in the Biddy division.
Tave Padilla, the co-director of the Youth Development and Leadership Program, said the players all look forward to the awards ceremony.
“This is one of the happiest days of their life when they get this trophy,” Padilla said.
Shaquan Huey, 12, a seventh grader at Louise A. Spencer School in Newark and Adonis Ridley, 13, who attends Union Avenue Middle School in Irvington were recognized during the ceremony for their all-around sportsmanship.
Adrianne Davis, the co-founder of The North Ward Center, said the awards banquet is a great way to recognize the accomplishments of the players. She noted that to participate in the league, all players must maintain their grades at their respective schools.
“These players worked hard not only on the court, but in school as well,” Davis said. “Our goal is not only to teach athletics, but to give them the skills they need to succeed in life as well.”
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