| Mission | | Background | | | Who We Are | | | Statement of Need | | | Effectiveness | | | Director | | | Staff |
Who We Are
NYCBBC, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is a unique athletic organization that uses basketball to promote positive and productive life skills for young people. NYCBBC currently operates two Saturday only programs where kids join individually:
- The summer NYCBBC Saturday League
- The winter Drillz-n-Skillz Saturday Program
The organization is widely known for its 15-week summer NYCBBC Saturday League where young boys and girls participate in four sometimes five different divisions. As part of the program each participant receives a uniform upon joining and at least one (1) trophy at the end of the program on championship and trophy day so they can feel a sense of accomplishment.
Since its inception in 1995, every year more than 275 kids, ranging in age from 6 to18 years old participate and our summer Saturday league continues to grow. Unlike other leagues, outside pre-assembled teams are not allowed. “Come as you are” – is our motto. NYCBBC welcomes players at every skill level. Youngsters with no ability, as well as, those with special needs are encouraged to participate along with those with highly developed skills. This broad mix of skill set enriches the experiences of all participants.
Summer particpants go through a 6-week fundamentals camp and a scrimmage process; they are then evaluated based on their skill level; afterwards they are placed on teams within the league in one of the 4-5 divisions where they compete against each other. It is important to note that particpants do not compete against outside teams as in other tournaments.
In past years we have had a 5th All Girls Division. In order for this division to exist, this is the only division where we allow pre-assembled teams to come in from the outside because most girls play on AAU teams causing a limited amount of girls to join individually. Also , we found that having the pre-assembled girl’s teams their AAU games conflicted with our Saturday schedule.
The NYCBBC summer league operates in the Cherry Tree Park located at 100th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan, NYC. Close ties have been established with local community residents, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the 23rd Precinct. These strategic partnerships help to ensure that the basketball courts remain a safe and clean place where children can grow to be positive and productive adults.
Our winter Drillz-n-Skillzis a new Saturday program which started in December of 2012. Drillz-n-Skillz is a 10-week athletic program staffed by skilled trainers. Our trainers use intense drills to strengthen, condition and prepare the child with the skills and fundamentals to compete at a higher level. Each child receives a uniform upon joining and written homework every week.
NYCBBC is an organized, well disciplined and family oriented league. A series of mentoring strategies are used to help our youth excel on and off the court by encouraging them not only through the game of basketball and physical fitness but also through stressing academic achievement and community involvement.
NYCBBC encourages participants to pursue higher learning and a healthly lifestyle. This commitment is supported by our association with the American Cancer Society.
Over the years we have watched so many of our participants grow up in the league and now their children participate. NYCBBC also facilitate collegiate exposure to our HS participants inclucing assisting them with identifying colleges or universities that are a good fit for them academically, socially and athletically.
NYCBBC is run by its founder Skip Branch and Carole Richards Branch, along with a staff of dedicated volunteers, coaches and mentors from the community and beyond. This cadre of volunteers includes parents, business professionals and mentors that serve the league on and off the court.