More than 200 people gathered at Wilson Park on the city’s Southside on Saturday as cars whizzed past over their heads.  For the sixth year in a row, the park nestled between Interstate 81 and Pioneer Homes played host to Syracuse police officer Brandon Hanks’ and Syracuse Housing Authority ’s 10K basketball tournament. It will be the last held at the park for the foreseeable future because of the teardown of the Interstate 81 viaduct. “So now we’re gonna try to find a gym, a different gym to go to that has multiple courts,” Hanks said. “That way we can keep it going.” On Saturday and Sunday, the basketball thumping against the court, cheers and referee whistles drowned out the steady hum of cars on the highway above.  In the tournament’s first six years, it has been a refuge for local basketball players: It has often led to kids getting recruited into basketball teams. High school coaches frequent the tournament to watch the younger kids play and sway their decisions on where they go for high school, Hanks said. Many of these players also go on to play division one level college basketball.  Hanks and the tournament have given away more than $80,000 to winning teams. The officer used his reputation as a cop on the court, willing to play basketball with anyone, to bring some of the Syracuse area’s best basketball players to Wilson Park.  He has challenged countless kids to one-on-one games that ended in brand new sneakers courtesy of Hanks or 20 pushups by the kids, depending on the winner. Hanks has bought five or six pairs of sneakers for kids to date. He said that Rajon Rondo, a former National Basketball Association player, sent pairs of sneakers that he was able to distribute to kids. Hanks  has no longer kept up with the tradition.  “As I got a little older, I couldn’t do that anymore because these kids got really bigger [and more] competitive. So I kind of let that go,” Hanks said. “These kids’ feet are getting bigger. It’s costing a lot of money now.” Elijah Stevens, 46, stood with his team, the Black Mambas. A basketball coach for over a decade, he returned as a coach for a second year in a row. He coached several teams playing on Saturday all aged between 13 to 15. He also coached a younger team to the championship on July 11, he said.  “This is a good way for kids on different teams to come together and build positive relationships,” Stevens said.  His son, 14-year-old Ayden has been playing basketball since he was four years old. He now plays guard for the Cicero North Syracuse basketball team, where he plays guard, he said.  On Saturday, Ayden and other teenagers lined up at a makeshift Syracuse Housing Authority tent to register their individual teams and collect their team shirts. Sneakers squealed against the blacktop as others practiced dunking. Players often left the court to grab the free bottles of water or Gatorade to beat the nearly 80 degrees of heat. Family and friends crowded the two bleachers on the dual basketball court where the teams played.  The first tournament was held in 2021, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Hanks remembered several basketball hoops in local parks being taken down in 2020 to curb the spread of the virus during the lockdown. The tournament was a godsend for kids during their summer break.  Getting kids to play in the tournament was a challenge initially, Hanks said. Many who played at Kirk Park or Schiller Park did not have the means or the ability to travel to Wilson Park. In their first year, SHA shuttles drove around the city to pick the kids up for the tournament.  The first year the tournament only saw six teams participate. Now in its sixth year, the 10K tournament has an abundance of signups from prospective teams. Hanks joked that they could have 20 teams if they wanted. Since it is difficult to say no to kids, Hanks often helps connect kids who are waiting to be included in teams with those who may have a spot or might need a backup. “It’s gotten bigger every single year to where now we don’t have to beg kids to play anymore,” Hanks said. “We’re getting overwhelmed with rosters and kids that want to play.” This tournament is meant to provide opportunities for Syracuse kids who cannot afford to play in expensive tournaments like the Amateur Athletic Union basketball travel leagues. Training for and playing in this free citywide tournament offers purpose and structure to the lives of many kids who would have otherwise found themselves falling in wrong company, Hanks said.  “That way they are not on the streets finding something else to do just because they don’t have the money or the means to do AAU travel basketball,” Hanks said.  Hanks has been a positive role model in the lives of the basketball players, present and past. Many have requested Hanks to start a division for older players so that they can come back to Wilson Park and compete again, he said.  The relationships he builds with the kids is “the best part of it all,” Hanks said. Not only does he get to dribble with the kids but also lend a patient ear to problems and offer solutions to those who are struggling and are in need of a word of encouragement or support.   SHA also wants to keep the tournament in their footprint. Hosting the tournament at Syracuse University would be a dream come true, Hanks said.  “Syracuse University is the closest to that footprint, so it would be ideal,” he said.   Winners of the tournament are in bold Co-ed 9-12 Division:  Black Mambas Young Legends  Lady Ballerz  Guard Kings  Monie All-Stars High School Girls Division: Exit 31  29/30s  Monie All Stars  Boys 13-15 Division:  2Live  Dog Mentality Elite D.M.E Maroons Gen Z 315 Black Mambas  The H Miracles  City Girls Elite  Monie All Stars  Boys 16-18 Division:  Gym Rats  Team Chicken Falcons Dog Mentality Elite  Team Aide  Team Poise  Eagles  The H Kiss World Elite  Strictly Defense  Monie All Stars The post Brandon Hanks, SHA host last 10K tournament at Wilson Park for the foreseeable future appeared first on Central Current. ...read more read less