As womens hoops moment turns into a permanent state of extreme popularity, and with Womens History Month on deck in March, New York Citys Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) got in the spirit with the soft launch of a new DYCD Basketball League for girls throughout the Big Apple.
SLAM got the chance to attend and photograph the very first session, which was held at Wadleigh Secondary School in Harlem and featured a round-robin scrimmage and the unveiling of DYCD- branded league jerseys.
Whats the purpose of this new league? According to literature provided by the DYCD, which has been around since 1996 and helps a broad cross section of New York City youth with its diverse programming, this initiative creates the opportunity to participate in structured league play, promoting teamwork, sportsmanship and community engagementWith a continued commitment to equity and inclusivity, DYCD is placing a strong emphasis on expanding structured opportunities for girl-inclusive sports programming. Each sport within the league will feature specific initiatives to engage young female athletes, including the creation of all-girl leagues or co-ed participation with inclusive rules to ensure fair and equitable play.
Since 2022, the DYCD has been led by Commissioner Keith Howard, a longtime employee of the city who grew up in the Bronx and knows his hoops. To say hes excited for this latest initiative is an understatement. Reflecting on growing up in the Bronx, and in a family who loved and played sports, I was lucky to be able to get involved with a community basketball league and play in tournaments all around the five boroughs before playing in college, the John Jay College product told us over email. During this time, New York City was ranked high on the list of male and female ballers who went off to make names for themselves in the NBA and WNBA. The phrase I Got Next came from the pickup basketball games happening in community courts all around the city. The influence of New York City ball culture mixed with the critical life skills that basketball taught me, such as discipline, teamwork, leadership, health and fitness, had a positive influence on my life.
Howard and his team now strive to impart those same life skills to a new generation of women, starting with basketball but also, according to Howard, other womens sports such as track & field, soccer, volleyball, fencing and more.
One of the attendees at the February event was Lynne Louis, a 13-year-old from Haiti who now lives in Brooklyn. An excellent student at PS 181, Lynne has also shown a lot of promise on the basketball court as the team captain of the PYE Beacon Lady Thunder (Beacons are community programs throughout the city run by DYCD.) Lynne shared with us her enthusiasm about joining a new league that will expose her to a lot more basketball. I enjoyed it a lot. It was my first time playing in a basketball league, so I was very excited to experience it, Lynne said. Im used to seeing mostly boys play. It feels great to see other girls like myself coming together to play a very popular and famous sport.
Hats off to the leaders of the DYCD, hands-on coaches and directors such as Alexandria Haughton and Paul Shorter, and everyone who will be part of this program. Given the positive impact basketball has proven to have on young people, we expect lives to be changed as the DYCD Basketball League grows.
As they say, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
