Lea Youth Outdoor Basketball League enters fourth season

Melrose Park welcomes Lea Youth Outdoor Basketball League

ROANOKE, Va. – It started as an initiative to create a fun summertime activity.

"We just wanted to bring kids out to this area and give them the chance come out and enjoy themselves," said Roanoke City police Officer Joshua Johnson. He serves as the crime prevention specialist for the department.

But the Lea Youth Outdoor Basketball League has become so much more to the Melrose community.

"People come to expect it. The people look forward to it, young people are accepting it better," said Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea.

The basketball league is in its fourth year of existence and continues to shed a positive light in northwest Roanoke each summer.

"You'll notice a change in the community because of what we're doing here and we have families and parents to come out and watch us play," said Lea.

As the players and teams strive to make it a goal to win each game, Lea said the goal of the league as a whole has already been met -- bridging the gap between the community and the police.

"We think we met our goal and we're going to continue to build on it in terms of having our young people to come out and work with police officers and and learn some things about character," Lea said.

Take for example, Carlos Board. He just graduated from Patrick Henry High School. He has experienced firsthand the benefits of playing in the league for the past three years. 

"It helped me become better just to work on the team membership and leadership, being a leader," said Board.

"So leading the team, being a team captain has just help build my personality, help bring everybody close together."

The benefits are not only for the players but the community also. In 2017 the crime rate decreased on game nights in the Melrose area.

"One of the positive benefits is it does reduce crime when we're out here because we have people engaged and kind of positive activity. So that's definitely a positive part of it and wasn't just necessarily the only reason why we started this program," Johnson said.

Lea added, "We want to let young people know that you can have fun and you can learn things, you can be a good character and you don't have to get in trouble."


About the Author:

Eric is no stranger to the Roanoke Valley. He is a Roanoke native and proud graduate of William Fleming High School.