South Sacramento March Madness tournament aims at keeping teens out of trouble
SACRAMENTO – Kids, parents and mentors came together Friday on the basketball court for a March Madness meetup. The annual youth tournament helps keep teens out of trouble.
"You get your friends from your community, you come out and have fun," coach Terrell Olive said.
This basketball tournament is south Sacramento's version of March Madness, bringing 150 kids together for some fun on a spring break Friday night.
Olive said these types of activities give kids an alternative to participating in things like sideshows and street violence.
"I grew up in this neighborhood, it's literally nothing else to do," Olive said. "You're going to get into trouble, you're going to join a gang, you're going to do something that you're going to regret and that happens too often and that's why we're here."
The event took place at the Mack Road Valley Hi Community Center, a neighborhood with a high rate of violent crime. A teen was shot in the apartments across the street last month and last week there was a murder less than a mile away.
"Things like this will help them stay out of trouble," a parent said.
The March Madness tournament also offered free food, a bounce house and even free haircuts.
Organizers say it also gives kids a taste of what it might be like to play on a bigger stage.
"I really want to be a basketball star so I keep fulfilling my dreams, keep working almost every day," student Michael Payne said.
Over the years, they've seen some success stories with kids going on to play college hoops.
"They're playing D-1, D-2, there's kids at schools like Louisiana Tech, LSU, there's kids from our neighborhood that play at Stanford," Olive said.
It's a chance to show off their skills on the court and take a shot at a brighter future.
"There's amazing things going on," Olive said.
Funding for the tournament comes from a city grant, the Mack Road Business District and community donations.
