USA Today: Can this Simple Orange Patch Actually Stop Gun Violence 1/28/16 - 05:40 PM
Raheem Solomon tilts his head to the left, lets his shoulders slump.
“You can get them right up there, in one of these houses,” he says. “They’re everywhere, and everybody knows how to get one, and too many people want one.”
Solomon, a high school sophomore, is talking about guns, which have been a constant presence for him and most everyone he knows for as long as he can remember. He’s gesturing toward a street that, on a warm mid-December night, is quiet. It runs uphill from the square in the center of Waterbury, Conn., where Christmas lights twinkle in the trees.
He has just finished a four-hour workout inside the tiny, worn basketball gym where he spends much of his time. His stepfather Bryan Heron runs daily sessions here at the Connecticut Junior Republic — he provides youth counseling during business hours, too — and has already crafted his son Mustapha Heron — Solomon’s half brother — into one of the top high school seniors in the country.
Solomon and Heron are part of the New Renaissance Basketball Association, a nascent — but well-funded — youth program based in New York City that has attracted top players in recent years.
Raheem Solomon. (Photo courtesy of the Rens)
The Rens, as they’re most commonly known, have also gained attention by adding a small orange patch to their jerseys as a way of raising awareness about gun violence.
“It’s mostly just about letting people know we’re standing up against this,” says Ben Pearce, a 7th grader from Tuckahoe in Westchester County. “We know it can’t go on.”
Though the discussion of gun violence in America spikes when mass shootings happen in unexpected places — a church in Charleston, during a morning news report in Roanoke, a community college in Oregon — the majority of shootings happen in urban areas, and they disproportionately affect black males. FBI data from 2013 shows that 51 percent of all homicide victims were black (and 83 percent of those were male), even though only 13 percent of the population is black. About 75 percent of all homicides were committed with guns.
The drive-by shooting of Tyrek Chambers — a 16-year-old guard who survived but has not returned to basketball — in Brooklyn over the summer prompted Rens coaches to take a more serious look at gun violence. He was the fourth player from the program involved in gun violence over the last year; one former player is a suspect in the death of his girlfriend.
At first the group’s executive director, Andy Borman, thought the players would need help making sense of what had happened to Chambers. He found, instead, that they viewed it as an inevitable part of growing up.
“I was at a practice with one of our eighth-grade teams,” Borman says. “I asked how many had played with somebody who has been shot. Something like 6 of 11 raised their hands. Then I asked how many knew somebody, period, who had been shot. All the hands went up.”
Borman, a former Duke walk on and the nephew of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, was at a loss. He had lived near Oakland, where high school basketball games were played in the early afternoon so players could return before the streets darkened and became even more dangerous. He had run a youth program in Chicago, where this year 412 people have been shot to death. He understood that guns were a problem.
Andy Borman. (Andy Marlin, USA TODAY Sports Images)
“What I didn’t know, couldn’t know,” he says, “is how prevalent they were, how accepted and normal and just a part of life. That didn’t make sense to me. How did we let ourselves get here?”
With the approval of the program’s board of directors — most are affluent New Yorkers whose donations have funded the operating budget of about $650,000 per year since 2010 — Borman approached two prominent gun-control advocacy groups, Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown USA and Sandy Hook Promise, about how he could empower his players and educate them about the dangers of using guns.
They suggested the idea of wearing orange, an homage to Project Orange Tree, a Chicago group founded to curb gun violence following the shooting death of a 15-year-old girl in 2013.
Borman, who was born in Texas and raised in North Carolina, has avoided turning the Rens’ message political. “It’s not about taking away guns or our thoughts on the 2nd Amendment or fighting the NRA,” he says. “This is more of simple thing where the kids — this is really their thing — they have taken pride in saying that it’s not OK, that you can and should choose a different path.”
Since first wearing the patches in September, Borman has fielded requests from other programs, one as far as Colorado. He’s sent out 1,000, has another shipment coming and knows one other New York program has screen-printed orange rectangles onto 3,500 jerseys as a show of solidarity.
Amani Allen, an eighth grader from Harlem, says that it’s too early to know whether the patches will have a lasting impact. In his experience, many of the fights that lead to gun violence happen because of things said on social media.
“Just the stupidest things said on there, they can cause it,” he says.
The orange patches are a small gesture he admits, but they’ve gained enough attention to act as a counterbalance. For his parents, who both grew up in Harlem and for that reason still accompany their oldest son when he leaves the the apartment, that is enough.
“I know what it is to know violence,” says Ashanti Allen, standing in his living room with a small Christmas tree already crowded by a dozen carefully wrapped presents, “because that’s what you’re surrounded by in neighborhoods here.”
Shortly after the Allen family spoke to a New York Times reporter about the patches, a neighbor was shot.
Steve Alvarado coaches an 8th-grade Rens team. (Andy Marlin, USA TODAY Sports Images)
On the other side of the city, on Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn, a team of eighth-graders representing the Rens walks through the metal detectors at South Shore High School to prepare for a pair of games in the Funsport Jr. Pro league, a showcase for top players on the East Coast that culminates in a championship game at the Barclays Center.
“Other teams ask us about it, other kids who don’t play ball,” says Nate Tabor, a versatile wing from Bushwick who is already considered a top recruit in the 2020 class. “It’s a lesson for them, a message they maybe don’t hear elsewhere. But it works on us, too. If you’re wearing the badge playing the game you love, that sticks with you.”
Tabor, who spent last year at prep school on the West Coast but recently moved in with Heron and Solomon, says he no longer attends parties “except baby showers, things like that.”
His coach, Steve Alvarado, does what he can to encourage his players to stay off the streets.
“I know how hard it can be, though,” he says. “I grew up in Harlem, played ball. The best player on the floor below me was sitting outside one night and a guy walked by, didn’t like the way he looked at him. Shot him. That was 1990.”
Borman was reticent about the patches at first because he feared that outsiders would label his players thugs. “This is bigger than that, though,” he says. “This is something happening to too many kids in too many places. Can’t hide that truth.”
Borman literally learned at the feet of Coach K (which is how he refers to him). He would spend summers attending youth sports camps at the university, staying with his aunt and uncle. So long as he promised to never talk, he was allowed to sit on the floor during film sessions with coaches who came to learn from Krzyzewski.
Quaran McPherson. (Andy Marlin, USA TODAY Sports Images)
He left a $235,000-a-year job running a for-profit basketball operation in Westchester County to take over the Rens last year, largely because he was promised by the board that his focus would be on making the kids better basketball players and students (the Rens pay all expenses for their players and offer tutoring to those who need it.)
He is most comfortable in a gym, watching for small details like whether a player uses the correct hand for a layup. He is, at heart, a coach. This part of the job is different for him. He travels extensively with his players over the summer, spending dozens of nights in hotels with them. He wants them to know they can talk to him about the most difficult parts of their lives. And he knows they don’t.
“They’ll tell me some things,” he says, “but everytime I walk out of a room, I can’t help but think what stories they have that they can only share with each other.”
On the way back from visiting Heron and Solomon in Waterbury, Borman passes the exit for Sandy Hook and Newtown. It is the eve of the third anniversary of Adam Lanza walking into an elementary school there and killing 20 students and six adults.
If Borman notices, he does not mention anything. He is talking about Heron, a charismatic kid whose shooting range and athleticism led his future head coach, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, to call him a “program changer.” He’s the first five-star recruit to sign with the Tigers.
“I wanted to make my own way,” Heron had said earlier in the night.
The idea of leading the rebuilding of a program that has been stagnant, at best, appeals to Heron. Yes, Pearl’s offense should be a good fit for him. But his choice — one of the most surprising for any of the top 30 players already signed for next season — was about putting himself in a situation that needs to be changed.
He plans on carrying the Rens’ quest with him to college and then, hopefully, the NBA.
“I’m surprised — and I guess I don’t understand why — it hasn’t caught on more quickly, why others aren’t doing this,” he says. “It’s something that needs to be out there.”
NY Times: Wear Orange Campaign Enlists Youth Basketball Players to Spread Message on Gun Violence 1/27/16 - 05:12 PM
As President Obama spoke on Tuesday about acting against gun violence, Jim Fox was on the phone, trying to make sure that every one of the 3,000 or so players in his basketball league, Lightning Basketball, would have a jersey with an orange patch.
The patch signifies that those young men and women, boys and girls, are part of the Wear Orange campaign to end the showers of bullets that maim and kill young people like themselves.
“I’m just fighting with the uniform guy,” said Mr. Fox, who is also a governor of the Amateur Athletic Union for the New York region. He said that at A.A.U. games, referees and other officials would wear orange shirts.
This is a small, spreading prairie fire. It began with 200 young ballplayers in another program, the New Renaissance Basketball Association, known around New York as the Rens. They started wearing the orange patches in October, after two players were badly hurt by gunfire and two others were accused of having fired guns within 18 months.
No president or senators are involved; no legislation is tied in knots. So far, about 300 amateur teams across the country have joined the Rens. In New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Florida, league leaders have promised that their teams will be wearing the patch.
Patches have gone to Team CP3, three teams in North Carolina sponsored by Chris Paul, the star point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers and president of the N.B.A. players’ union. “My @TeamCP3YB will be backing this initiative,” Mr. Paul wrote on Twitter after reading a column on the Rens’ orange patches.
Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks small forward, who underwrites Team Melo Basketball in Baltimore, also declared his support on Twitter.
No one believes that an orange patch can stop gun violence. The idea, said Andy Borman, the executive director of the Rens, is to disrupt the ordinariness of gunfire, the shrugging, undeclared normality of it among young men and boys.
To date, the orange project has been passed along from one amateur group to another, without the involvement of the National Collegiate Athletic Association or in New York, of the Public Schools Athletic League or the Catholic High School Athletic Association.
“The next step is helping to create an environment in which the N.C.A.A. is comfortable enough to act, so college presidents are behind the orange emblem,” Mr. Borman said. “For the mayor to feel comfortable enough so that all P.S.A.L. teams wear it, and for the cardinal to ask all C.H.S.A.A. teams to wear it. Being against gun violence is being for humanity.”
Mr. Fox, who retired as the chief federal probation and parole officer for New York, said that about 100 coaches in his league met on Sunday in an American Legion hall on Long Island and that there was immediate, broad enthusiasm for the plan. One of the league’s 16-year-old players was killed three years ago in a shooting, Mr. Fox said, and another lost part of his leg.
“We’re not talking about politics or Second Amendment stuff,” Mr. Fox said. “Kids are being hurt by guns that are almost always illegal.”
In his speech, Mr. Obama invoked the mass-shooting deaths that have stained this era in American history; the memory of the first graders slaughtered in Newtown, Conn., three years ago ran in tears across his face as he spoke.
“Every time I think about those kids it gets me mad,” Mr. Obama said. “And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day.”
That reality had already prompted Daniel Ferreira, coach of the Skyhawks in the Chicago Park District, to order T-shirts with the orange insignia for players on his teams.
“The majority of my guys are former gang members,” Mr. Ferreira said. “The Rens story struck a chord with me, because it’s the teams that identify strongly as families that are the ones that do well. About 85 percent of the players on our teams are survivors of gun violence. It’s an unfortunate reality here in Chicago.”
Indeed, it was injuries from those shootings that brought those players to the Skyhawks. When the season gets going, everyone on the court will be wearing a shirt with an orange patch. It will be a second reminder about the perils of bullets: the Skyhawks are part of a wheelchair basketball league.
The early signing period is a hallmark for high school basketball prospects, realizing the dream to play Division I basketball. For the RENS, an AAU program starting to emerge as a national power, it held the same significance, proof of how far the New York City-based organization has come in a short time, just finishing its fourth year of existence.
By the close of the period, four players — guard Tyrone Cohen (Holy Cross), wings Kai Mitchell (Iona) and Mustapha Heron (Auburn) and forward Tyrique Jones (Xavier) — had signed National Letters of Intent. But even more than that, they went to places where success can be envisioned in short order.
“I think it’s a good thing, more importantly than anything with the early signing period, to get kids going to schools that fit them and fit who they are,” said RENS executive director Andy Borman, a nephew of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and a member of the Blue Devils’ 2001 NCAA championship team. “All four of our boys have the right fit.”
Mitchell, a high-level athlete from Valley Stream, N.Y., should make a seamless transition into Iona’s up-tempo attack. Holy Cross’ strong academic opportunities, in addition to the quality basketball program, made sense for Christ the King’s Cohen, a stellar student and heady guard. The 6-foot-7 Jones should continue the recent history of talented big men who have attended Xavier and excelled. Then there is Heron, the likely McDonald’s All-American, who will play for Bruce Pearl and Auburn, and be given the chance to lead the Tigers’ revival.
“He’ll have the ball in his hands from Day 1, and he gets to play in the SEC,” Borman said.
The four won’t be alone at the next level next winter representing the RENS, either. Borman expects as many as six other RENS to play Division I basketball next year, highlighted by five-star guard Rawle Alkins of Brooklyn and Long Island’s Devonte Green, the younger brother of Spurs shooting guard Danny Green.
“We’d like to be the program that every year prepares our kids for the year ahead of them,” Borman said. “Every year we take 10 kids and we want 10 kids to get full scholarships to play basketball and receive a free education. That’s what we want our reputation to be. We’re definitely headed in that direction.”
The RENS have made national headlines in recent weeks for their stance against gun violence. All 200 RENS players, from the third through 11th grade, are wearing an orange emblem — the color of safety — on their uniforms. Clippers point guard Chris Paul said his AAU program will be doing the same, and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg tweeted his support of the initiative. Whether that further elevates the AAU program remains to be determined. It wasn’t the intent.
“I can tell you the reason we’re doing it isn’t because it’s good for our program,” Borman said. “The reasons we’re doing it is we think it’s good for our kids, and we’re making a difference. I know that we have gotten a lot of positive feedback. I know our kids are really proud of the statement they’re making, and at the end of the day that’s what this is about.
“Hopefully, we’re in this to make kids’ lives better.”
Real Estate Weekly: Construction Boss to Lead Campaign that Stands Against Gun Violence 1/25/16 - 08:57 PM
Construction boss to lead campaign that stands against gun violence
Jack Irushalmi, a principal at Tri-Star Construction and original board member of the RENS, a grassroots NYC-based children’s basketball program, has decided to lead a campaign that stands against gun violence.
Following four separate shooting incidents of former and current teammates last year, the RENS teams will participate in the campaign by wearing an “orange patch” on their team uniforms to symbolize their opposition towards gun violence victimizing inner city families.
JACK IRUSHANI
“Orange means make another choice, don’t listen to gang members, close your ears to anyone and everyone who thinks it’s cool to have a gun,” said Irushalmi, whose 7th grade son also plays for the entity.
“It means do whatever you can to fight for safety, decency, change, and a deeper sense of courage. The children and parents at the RENS should feel so proud of their leadership role.”
Andy Borman, the program’s Executive Director, noted that this past season alone, two RENS children were shot. One, a 15-year-old, was left wearing a colostomy bag.
Another was arrested for shooting someone else, and a former 6th grade player, now 14, was charged with shooting his own teenage girlfriend to death.
“The RENS are far from the exception. We are the rule, and it has to stop. Basketball is a beautiful game, these kids are precious, and they are taking a stand,” Borman insisted.
Borman explained,
“All 200 RENS student-athletes (grades three through 11) will wear the emblem and carry the message throughout the yearlong AAU basketball season.” Borman, a member of Duke University’s 2001 NCAA championship team, and the nephew of Blue Devil coach Mike Krzyzewski, said, “It’s impossible to work in this arena without seeing and feeling the full effects of one gun related tragedy after another. These horrors senselessly affect families, children, mothers, and fathers.
“By asking our student athletes to wear the orange color which expresses ‘safety’ and ‘sanity’ in the face of violence, we are hoping to teach children that gun violence is unacceptable and wrong.”
Borman explained that over the past five weeks, he and his Board members have consulted with experts to gather information as to what they could do to not only educate their own kids, but to encourage other grassroots, high school, college and even professional basketball teams to follow suit.
The RENS are teaming up with two organizations — Everytown and Sandy Hook Promise, whose literature they will distribute.
Organization experts, including mothers who lost their own children, will speak to the RENS teams, coaches and parents in an attempt to create healthier choices for all children. Sandy Hook Promise will offer training on their “Know the Signs” prevention programs.
Youth 1: RENS Basketball Takes Stand Against Gun Violence 1/18/16 - 08:57 PM
RENS BASKETBALL TAKES STAND AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE
The game of basketball and its culture have an unfortunate association with gun violence. An even more upsetting association is the connection gun violence has with America’s youth. This culture of violence has plagued and effected young basketball players all around the country.
Andy Borman is the Executive Director of the New Renaissance Basketball Association located in New York City. Borman, a graduate of Duke University and member of the 2001 National Championship team has been around basketball his whole life. When asked about gun violence and basketball he had said “Gun violence is a serious problem, When I was in Chicago it was a problem, it was a problem when I coached down in Florida. It has become more than just a basketball issue, it has become a youth of America issue which seriously needs to be addressed.”
The New Renaissance Basketball Association, better known as Rens, is a very successful program with more than 200 players from 3rd grade through high school. Their success on the court is well documented but the action they have taken in honor of teammate Tyrek Chambers is even more admirable.
Chambers is the fourth member of the Rens to have his life threatened by gun violence this past year. A couple of months ago Chambers was chased down and shot at drive-by style in Brooklyn. While running away a bullet hit him in the back. Luckily for Chambers the gunshot did not take his life, but he has a long road of physical recovery and rehabilitation ahead of him.
This season the Rens will wear an orange patch on their jerseys to symbolize their fight against gun violence. It is a simple, strong message from the players to let everyone know that this will not be tolerated anymore.
Mustapha Heron, a Rens player and Auburn commit spoke about what the orange patch movement means to him.
“When you play basketball you know everybody your competing against, when you hear about these kids getting shot its terrible. But when it happens to someone on your team it really hits home. The message we want to send is that using a gun does not solve any problems. Nobody wins when a gun is involved, the person using the gun will probably end up in jail and somebody will probably end up dead.”
Moving forward the Rens will spread the orange patch message everywhere they go. Every Rens team will wear the patch; in every tournament they play in all around the country. The goal is to reach as many people possibly, with the hope of one day getting recognized on a national platform.
“The NBA and college basketball support a lot of different movements. I think it’s possible for them to recognize what we are doing. A lot of kids from the inner city look up to NBA and college players.” Said Heron.
Some big name NBA personalities such as Bill Simmons, Shane Battier and Chris Paul have acknowledged the efforts of Rens. Getting the support of these types of personalities is exactly what the orange patch movement needs to make a significant impact on the youth.
“If we save just one kids life, than this campaign was worth the effort. We obviously want to do more than that, we want to try and change a culture. Way too many young kids fall victim to gun violence.” Said Bormann.
Think Progress: After 3 Shooting in 5 Months, Youth Basketball Team Take Historic Stand against Gun Violence 1/17/16 - 08:57 PM
For the 200 kids who play in the New York City based New Renaissance Basketball Association (RENS), gun violence isn’t just a statistic to be used in debates about the second amendment and gun control. Gun violence is something they deal with on a daily basis. It’s personal.
So this season, the teams will wear orange patches on their jerseys as they travel the country to play games. The orange patches are supposed to be to gun violence what the pink ribbon is to breast cancer and the red ribbon was to AIDS. The purpose is to draw attention to the epidemic of gun violence and promote a culture of change, one where guns are no longer considered cool.
The “Wear Orange” campaign was started a few years ago by Chicago teens who wanted to send a message that they would no longer stand for the gun violence in their communities. They had the desire to take action after the death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed by gang members in a Chicago park in a case of mistaken identity. The RENS teams will be the first sports teams in the country to wear orange patches.
Mustapha Heron, a 17-year-old who started playing for RENS when he was in eighth grade, hopes fans and competitors will be curious about the orange patch and that it can start a conversation.
“Hopefully they start asking questions, like ‘What does that orange patch mean?’ And I can tell them, we want to make a push to end gun violence for the streets,” Heron told ThinkProgress.
While gun violence has always been an issue for these kids growing up in inner-city New York, this year the problem hit closer to home. Between March and August, two kids in their community were injured and another was killed due to gun violence. A former sixth grade RENS player, who is now 14 years old, was charged with shooting his girlfriend to death.
“There’s a feeling that the kids are numb, that there’s a borderline acceptance that this is just part of the culture,” Andy Borman, the executive director of RENS, said. “That’s the most upsetting thing. How is this common? How is this accepted?”
Gun violence has become an epidemic in America, and a report published in February 2014 by the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Generation Progress (GP) found that it’s a problem that disproportionately impacts youth and minorities. (ThinkProgress is an editorially independent news site housed at CAP.)
While Americans under the age of 25 account for only 3 percent of all deaths in the country each year, they account for 21 percent of all of the deaths from gun violence. The study projected that in 2015, gun violence will be the leading cause of death amongst people ages 15 to 24, surpassing motor vehicle deaths for the first time. Overall, CAP and GP calculated that 1 million years of potential life are lost due to gun deaths each year.
Moreover, while only 13 percent of Americans are black, 65 percent of gun murder victims between the ages of 15 and 24 were black, and young black men in that age range are killed at a rate 4.5 times higher than their white counterparts.
Young people also commit gun offenses more frequently than other age groups. In 2012, 75,049 young people between the ages of 10 and 29 were arrested for weapons offenses, such as illegally carrying or possessing a firearm; this group made up 65 percent of all arrests for weapons offenses that year. Many of these offenders end up imprisoned, often for extended periods. The report estimated that in addition to the general cost to society of the loss of productivity and tax revenue, a 20-year-old imprisoned for life will cost American taxpayers roughly $2 million.
“The thing I said to the kids is — this is terrible, what are you going to do about it?” Borman said.
For Heron, the problem really hit home when fellow basketball player Tyrek Chambers, who Heron often practiced with and competed against, was shot in the stomach in broad daylight while walking to the store three months ago in Brooklyn. Chambers, 15, was with a group of friends at the time, but they all fled when the shot was fired, leaving Chambers lying on the ground, wounded and alone, until the ambulance came. Chambers will survive the incident, but he still has to wear a colonoscopy bag, and he hasn’t been able to get back to school or play basketball since the incident. There are no clues about who shot Chambers, or why.
Heron, a top 25 basketball prospect in the class of 2016 who has already committed to Auburn, cried when he found out about what happened to his friend.
“It hits you closer when it’s someone you’re close to and you’ve developed a relationship with over time,” Heron said. “When I found out about what happened with Tarek, that’s when I wanted to get involved and take a stand. Gun violence happens so much, especially where I’m from, every day you hear about people getting shot, even in broad daylight. I want to stand up for the younger generation and steer them away from it. I didn’t know there was a way out.”
Borman hopes that this initiative can move beyond awareness and into education and action. RENS has teamed up with Everytown and Sandy Hook Promise, two prominent anti-gun violence organizations, to provide educational materials and resources for the kids. The mothers who lost children in the Sandy Hook massacre will speak directly to the RENS players about ways to deal with grief and make better choices.
“We’re going to bring in people that can talk to our kids about the built-in responses and give them a safety clause,” Borman, who played on the 2001 Duke national championship basketball team and is the nephew of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, said. “I tell my kids, if you have to think about it, don’t do it. If you are sitting there and you are trying to decide whether this is a good or bad decision, it’s a bad decision, just stay away. Walk away, get out, or ask for help.”
Since announcing the orange-patch campaign, Borman has already heard from approximately 25 programs across the country looking for orange patches of their own. He hopes that by each team focusing on change on their own local level, that the campaign can make a much broader impact.
But primarily, Borman hopes that he is empowering the kids in his program, and that ultimately, lives can be saved. So far, it sounds like the message is getting through.
“Everyone has a voice and everyone has a decision to make, and no matter how much you think you don’t have a choice, you do,” Heron said. “You don’t have to go down that path.”
NY Daily News: New York Hoopsters Team Up Against Gun Violence 1/16/16 - 08:58 PM
New York hoopsters team up against gun violence
RENS basketball players don orange uniform patches in anti-gun campaign.
When the growing epidemic of gun violence hit close to home for a flourishing New York City AAU program, its players, coaches and executives went on the offensive.
“Gun violence is a problem in the inner city and we were in the process of doing something to raise awareness,” said Andy Borman, executive director of the RENS, a grassroots basketball program. “But after we had two of our own players shot and one of our former players shot and killed his girlfriend we sat back and said, ‘Good God, this is bad.’ Something has to be done. Now.”
Borman, the nephew of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and a member of the Blue Devils’ 2001 NCAA championship team, said all 200 RENS student-athletes — in grades 3 through 11 — are now wearing an orange emblem on their uniforms, and they have encouraged other AAU programs plus high school and college teams to do the same.
The Clippers’ Chris Paul tweeted two days ago that his AAU team “will be backing this initiative.” Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also tweeted thanks to the RENS and Paul for “#wearingorange and fighting gun violence.”
Two years ago, Bloomberg announced a $50 million commitment to fight gun violence. The group, Everytown For Gun Safety, has teamed with the RENS. The AAU program is also working with Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization set up in the wake of the 2012 massacre with the aim of ending gun violence.
Several mothers who lost their own children in the Sandy Hook shooting will speak to the RENS teams, coaches and parents in an attempt to create healthier choices for all children.
“Orange is the color of safety,” Borman said. “We are in no way trying to make a political statement. We’re simply trying to raise awareness and hope that more teams do the same. We have to make a statement. A ball can change the world.”
The RENS were founded four years ago and have already become a top program on the national AAU circuit. The RENS have players already enrolled in or committed to UConn, St. John’s, Auburn, Indiana, Xavier and Hofstra as well as several top Division II and Division III programs. One star player, Tyrek Chambers, wasn’t so lucky. He was struck in the back by a single bullet during a drive-by shooting three months ago in Brownsville. Chambers still has the bullet lodged in his back and is hoping to return to the basketball court once his internal wounds heal.
“This has to stop,” Borman said. “That’s why we got involved. These are our kids. This is happening everywhere.”
Borman is hoping that other high-profile NBA players who sponsor AAU teams, including Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, will follow Paul’s lead and join the campaign. Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, Conn., the NYC Jayhawks, Hilltopper Heat (N.J.) and Brooklyn’s Tilden High School have already joined the movement.
Borman says that a soccer program in Chicago and a Denver-based girls basketball team have inquired about the campaign. The RENS believe that by empowering their own players they can effect both conversation and change.
“I hope that every game someone will look at the orange patch and ask ‘What is that?’” Borman said. “What we’re trying to do here is necessary at this time. We don’t want this to be a flash-in-the-pan movement. We’re in this for the long haul.”
Duke Chronicle: Q&A Former Duke Guard Andy Borman's AAU Program raising awareness about Gun Violence 1/14/16 - 08:58 PM
Former Duke guard Andy Borman won a national championship with the Blue Devils in 2001 and currently serves as director of a New York City-based AAU team, the New York RENS. The RENS compete on a nationwide circuit, and this season will use their platform to raise awareness about gun violence.
The Chronicle's Ryan Hoerger spoke with Borman—a nephew of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski—about the RENS' decision to wear orange patches on their jerseys this season to raise awareness about gun violence. Their conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
By / Special to The Chronicle
The RENS played their last tournament with the new jerseys and have received positive feedback.
The Chronicle: How did you get involved in the anti-gun violence movement and deciding to wear the orange patches?
Andy Borman: It was obvious from a couple different instances that took place in and around New York City that gun violence was a problem. Our kids kind of made it pretty apparent that they wanted to do something to raise awareness on the gun violence issue. I called a couple organizations, one of them being Sandy Hook Promise—which is run by the Mothers of Sandy Hook up in Connecticut—and a program called Everytown, which is raising awareness about gun violence. We called them and said, ‘What can we do? What’s a good message to send?’ Very similar to how breast cancer awareness has the pink ribbon and Support Our Troops has the yellow ribbon, what those two organizations let us know is that the color for safety is orange. We are sewing orange patches on all of our game jerseys—from second grade up through high school—and that’s just our way of saying that we don’t like gun violence, our kids don’t like it and we’re going to raise awareness and try to make a change.
TC: Was there a specific catalyst around your program that led to the RENS deciding to take this stand?
AB: There were four instances this past season, and the season really runs from March to early August. Out of those four, two of the instances were players that were not a part of our program but that we do know because we play against the teams that they play for. One of them was a kid that used to play for us three years ago, and the fourth one, Tyrek Chambers, played on our freshman AAU team and in August was walking to the local convenience store with some friends and got shot in the stomach. He was the product of a drive-by that really had no rhyme or reason for why it took place. Fortunately, Tyrek’s alive, but unfortunately Tyrek still has a bullet lodged in his body, and has and is undergoing multiple surgeries to try to be fully healthy again.
TC: With all of these incidents occurring around them, how did your players respond?
AB: Were the kids affected? Of course they were. Did they feel loss and grief and frustration? Yes. But at the same time, the thing that was the most shocking to me was that there was almost an acceptance, a feeling from our kids that this was part of the culture that they lived in. That was the part that was really the most disturbing to me, because these are tragedies. This is not a part of everyday life, or if it is a part of everyday life, it certainly should not be. The first kid got shot in the head and he got killed. Another kid got shot in the hip, Tyrek got shot in the stomach. These are, to me, eyebrow-raising, eye-opening, shocking occurrences, that for our kids, there was almost like an immunization, an acceptance of it. That was the thing that drove the movement, that this should not be an everyday thing—there’s nothing common about these occurrences.
TC: Have you worn the patches during any AAU events yet? What's been the initial response?
AB: We played in two tournaments—for the first one we didn’t have the patches ready so our kids wore orange undershirts underneath their jerseys, so you could see the orange sleeves. And for the second one, we played with the patches on. It’s gone really well. There is a rallying effect. In less than a week, I have had 25 programs from across the country call and say ‘Hey, how can we get patches? How can we join the movement?’ What we’re doing is we’re telling any program, whether it’s a youth program, whether it’s a high school, whether it’s a college, whatever—if you want to wear patches, we will get them made, we will send them to you free of charge. We don’t want this to be a flash in the pan. We don’t want it to be something where everybody talks about it for three days and then moves on to the next issue. I think that’s part of the allure of the patches because they’re going to be there every time we put on the jersey.
TC: The NFL has a big campaign in October for breast cancer awareness. How do you see sports as a vehicle for pushing important social causes like this one?
AB: Sports are a large part of our country and they’re a large part of the social conscience of people. I think it’s big—it’s got the potential to be enormous. Obviously the platform that sports provide, I mean, look at Duke basketball. Duke basketball is not just a Duke influencer—it’s a national influencer of all ages, whether you’re a third-grader or an adult. Our hope is that we can make it so that gun violence is not only unacceptable, it’s uncool. When you’re a kid, being cool is pretty important, so if we can make it cool to be safe and to be healthy and to make good decisions, then I think we’ve done our job.
TC: You mentioned that after the tragedies that took place, there was almost a sense of acceptance from your kids. Since the orange patches have been sewn on, have you sensed a change?
AB: There’s an enormous sense of pride, and our kids really believe they’re making a difference. They’re kind of carrying the torch. A lot of [gun violence] is senseless, a lot of these things are not premeditated—they just occur. A big thing for us is making sure our kids are making good decisions, putting themselves in a safe environment, if they're in a place where they feel uncomfortable, that they’re prepared or equipped so that they can make a phone call or reach out for help. The first step in any change is self-awareness, and so that’s what our kids are undergoing right now. After self-awareness, it’s [having a] positive influence on others.
TC: How did going to Duke and playing basketball at Duke prepare you to lead your players through something like this?
AB: I think any person that has played for or had a relationship with the coaches, Coach K and every single member of the staff at Duke basketball, I think you learn several things right away. One is leadership, another is responsibility, and I think the third thing—Coach talks about it all the time—is being a part of something bigger than yourself. I played there in the early 2000s and a lot of my best friends are former teammates, and that’s something that we take a lot of pride in. This is my opportunity to be a part of something that’s bigger than myself. That’s something that’s ingrained in you, and it becomes a part of who you are. The effect that Duke has had on me is it has made me a better man, which has prepared me in life and also prepared me to take on this leadership role of supporting and guiding such a worthy cause.
It’s no secret that gun violence in America is a horrible, horrible problem that takes the lives of many across the nation. For one youth basketball team in New York City called the RENS, four separate shootings resulted in tragically impacting multiple players’ lives. To take a stand against gun violence, the team will wear an orange patch on their uniforms, as seen in this photo:
The RENS will symbolize their opposition to gun violence victimizing inner city families by wearing an “orange patch” on their team uniforms, according to Andy Borman, the program’s Executive Director. Borman noted that this past season alone, two RENS children were shot, one, a 15-year-old was left wearing a colostomy bag. Another was arrested for shooting someone else, and a former 6th grade player, now 14, was charged with shooting his own teenage girlfriend to death. “The RENS are far from the exception. We are the rule, and it has to stop. Basketball is a beautiful game, these kids are precious, and they are taking a stand,” Borman insisted.
Mr. Borman explained, “All 200 RENS student-athletes (grades three through 11) will wear the emblem and carry the message throughout the yearlong AAU basketball season.” Borman, a member of Duke University’s 2001 NCAA championship team, and the nephew of Blue Devil coach Mike Krzyzewski, said, “It’s impossible to work in this arena without seeing and feeling the full effects of one gun related tragedy after another. These horrors senselessly affect families, children, mothers, and fathers. By asking our student athletes to wear the orange color which expresses ‘safety’ and ‘sanity’ in the face of violence, we are hoping to teach children that gun violence is unacceptable and wrong.”
Borman explained that over the past five weeks, he and his Board members have consulted with experts to gather information as to what they could do to not only educate their own kids, but to encourage other grassroots, high school, college and even professional basketball teams to follow suit. The RENS are teaming up with two organizations — Everytown and Sandy Hook Promise, whose literature they will distribute. Organization experts, including mothers who lost their own children, will speak to the RENS teams, coaches and parents in an attempt to create healthier choices for all children. Sandy Hook Promise will offer training on their “Know the Signs” prevention programs.
“The ‘Wear Orange’ campaign was inspired by a few Chicago teens who sent a simple – but powerful – message: We refuse to accept the gun violence crisis that’s decimating our communities and we’re going to do something about it,” said Jason Rzepka, Director of Cultural Engagement at Everytown for Gun Safety. “It is fitting that the young athletes of The RENS will be the first sports team in the country to wear orange patches on their jerseys, sending a message of hope and empowerment. We salute the RENS’ commitment to helping achieve an America free from gun violence and believe their action will reverberate well beyond the AAU gyms where they compete.”
Guns are pulled over insults on social media, said Amani Allen, center, a Rens player in Harlem. One former teammate was shot in the neck, he said.
Damon Winter / The New York Times
October 27, 2015
About New York
By JIM DWYER
The car pulled up to the corner, a gun jutting from a window, and two of the three boys on the street took off running. The third one, the fastest, a 15-year-old basketball star named Tyrek Chambers, had no time. A single shot caught him in the back. On the sidewalk, bleeding, he yelled that he had been hit.
“Nobody came back,” Tyrek said last week.
Nearly three months after the night he was shot in Brooklyn, the bullet is still lodged near his tailbone. Surgeons were able to repair his colon and attach a colostomy bag, which collects his waste. He is now 16 and playing no ball, at least until his internal injuries are healed.
Ordinarily such damage vanishes without a trace of public notice: It is both too awful to think about the long tail of violence in a single life, and too ordinary to qualify as news.
Tyrek Chambers, 16, was the fourth player in just one small youth basketball program in New York City to be directly involved in gun violence over the last year.
Damon Winter / The New York Times
This one is not going away.
Tyrek, it turns out, was the fourth player in just one small youth basketball program in New York City to be directly involved in gun violence over the last year. He and another player were shot; two others were accused of having fired guns, one of those of killing a girlfriend.
The players in the program — 200 boys, from third graders to high school juniors — have decided that they won’t ignore it.
This season, as they travel the city and country, every player will be wearing a uniform embroidered with an orange patch, a visual alarm about gun violence. Just as pink ribbons have come to stand for awareness of breast cancer, and red for H.I.V., a “wear orange” campaign was started two years ago by teenagers in Chicago as a statement against the crisis of violence there, which had taken one of their friends.
“The orange patch is a good way to make people understand as we go around to the tournaments,” said Amani, 13, shown on his way to a game with his family.
Damon Winter / The New York Times
The players belong to a group of teams formally called the New Renaissance Basketball Association, widely known as Rens. The Rens teams will be the first in the country at any level to include the orange ribbons on their uniforms, according to Jason Rzepka, director of cultural engagement at Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-violence organization that organizes “wear orange” days and events.
Andy Borman, the Rens executive director, said: “The orange patch is pretty much the kids taking a stand on their own behalf. The basic message is: If you think guns are cool, then you are a fool.”
Mr. Borman, who played on Duke University’s 2001 championship team and is a nephew of Duke’s basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, said that coaches kept hearing from their players about shootings, so Rens leaders sought help from Everytown and the group Sandy Hook Promise.
A Rens player who is one of the top-rated high school seniors in the country, Mustapha Heron, said that in Waterbury, Conn., his hometown, shootings have become too easily accepted.
Amani with his family before a game.
Damon Winter / The New York Times
“Everybody I know has been affected by it, some way or another, their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters,” Mustapha, 17, said. “After a while, it’s just another day.”
He will be attending Auburn University next year, and said he would ask the coaching staff about wearing the orange patch on his jersey. “Every school should definitely look into it,” Mustapha said.
Guns are pulled over insults on social media, said Amani Allen, 13, a Rens player in Harlem. “It can evolve real fast from Twitters and Instagrams,” he said. One former teammate was shot in the neck, he said. “The orange patch is a good way to make people understand as we go around to the tournaments.”
Tyrek, grounded by his bullet injuries, dug into breakfast at a Brooklyn diner last week and reflected on the mortality of young men in and around his neighborhood of Brownsville. “A lot of my friends is dead,” he said. “Hakeem. Ronald, two years ago, he was 13. Nathaniel, he was 18. My other friend, Pablo, that was last year.”
Not everyone dies when hit. “One friend got shot in the head and stayed alive,” Tyrek said. “One got shot in the chest. Another got hit in the leg.”
Yet he was sure no bullet was coming his way on the night he was shot, at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Lincoln Road. “I never even thought about it,” he said. “A lot of kids in bad neighborhoods think they cool. But a lot of people in this world die.” He said he did not know who had shot him or why.
What would he tell a young player, a younger Tyrek, for instance, about the meaning of the orange patch?
His reply was instant, a lesson freshly and painfully learned: Crews and gangs in the streets offer no protection to the boys who run with them.
“They don’t watch your back, but that’s how people feel,” Tyrek said. “Until something happens.”
Love, Honor, Respect, Dedication, Education, Sacrifice, Trust, Friendship, Family, Effort, Peace, Commitment, Teamwork, Tolerance, Humility. These 15 words represent the larger lessons we are seeking to teach all of our young student athletes. For the 2015 season, each of the backs of our new grade school and middle school jerseys will contain one of these beautiful, powerful and meaningful words.
We believe we are the first program in the nation to take such a progressive step and sincerely hope that you support and appreciate the creativity and meaning of these “program words”.
About 18 months ago, RENS founder Dan Klores was speaking to one of his mentors and dear friends, the great, retired coach, Ben Jobe, who at 81 is still a full-time scout for the New York Knicks. Discussing the true priorities that the game should stress, Coach Jobe, who won more than 530 games in his distinguished career, wondered, “Why are we putting last names on the backs of players' jerseys? Our job is to be a teacher first. What more prominent place to take an opportunity to teach?”
From that conversation was born this breakthrough and revolutionary idea.
Our job as coaches, parents, and mentors is to ensure that we are producing good humans, good citizens and providing our youth with the guidance and structure to “pay it forward” at the appropriate time and place.
I hope you share in the pride we feel knowing that such a simple exercise may act as an invaluable and important lesson and that you embrace this initiative to make this a life lesson for the young men in our program.
On Memorial Day, on the heels of their title victory at Basketball Spotlight, the young RENS beat the Gauchos, 52-46 at Island Garden in Hempstead to place first in the D1 Regional Finals. In front of a packed crowd of hundreds, the team which was able to suit up only nine players struggled at first against their city rivals in a sluggish start. Down 16 - 2, the gritty group hung in there behind some hot shooting by guards Tyler Hawkins and Luke Klores. In the second half, thanks to Coach Steve Harris' intense full court pressure and continued guard play, the "never say never" squad caught up, pulled away and maintained the lead till the end. Harris has built this championship team from scratch in the last 18 months. He said proudly, "We keep getting better and better. We fight through adversity and are learning how to win. If we continue to play unselfishly and look for the open man, there is no reason to believe we won't excel at the Nationals."
6th Grade RENS Capture Live City Championship 3/10/15 - 10:35 AM
Multiple dominating performances led to a championship game appearance by the 6th Grade RENS team against cross-town rival Bronx Gauchos in the Live City Winter League. While the RENS went on to win the Championship game 36-34 (they're fourth championship this season), the whole story wasn't told by the final score. After controlling the pace of the game in the first half, the RENS found themselves facing a 6 point deficit with 3 minutes to play in the second half forcing Coach Steve Harris to call a much needed timeout. During that timeout, Coach Harris instructed his players to stay composed and trust the game plan. Shifting to a 1-2-1-1 press, the RENS put a run on the Gauchos and walked away with a well-deserved LIVE CITY championship.
After reconstructing the make up of the 3rd Grade RENS team, the new cast of characters willed their way through tough competition to earn the 2015 Teach Me Classic Championship Title. The team MVP was Jashaun Jones.
Coach Green and Coach Geames led the 10u NY RENS team to the Teach Me Classic Championship in Teaneck, NJ this past weekend.
Said Coach Danny Green Sr, "This group is a joy to coach and we are very proud of the strides that these young men have made thus far! I applaud the kids and their parents for their dedication to the team and the RENS program!"
8th Grade RENS Team Plays up and wins PAT Invitational 2/5/15 - 08:22 PM
Pictured are (left to right): Cole Anthony, Sam Klores, Philipps Joseph, Judah McIntyre, Erlyn Ramirez, Jordan DuFont, and
The 14u RENS team captured the 15u PAT Invitational Championship at the Island Garden (West Hempstead, NY) on January 18. A tough, high IQ team, the RENS played up an age group against multiple high school players en route to a well-deserved tournament championship. Playing short-handed throughout the entire weekend, the RENS 14u team used their skill and basketball IQ to defeat AIM High in the championship game by 30+ points.
Coach Steve Harris' 6th Grade Rens team won the 12U division of the P.A.T. tournament in decided semifinal and championship victories. Starting with just five players, the team knocked off House of Sports Elite 59 - 44 in the semis, before moving on to the championship game against arch rival Gauchos. The Rens jumped on them early with great ball movement and pressure defense which proved to be too much for the Gauchos, who fell 59 - 47. Pictured left to right: Coach Steve Harris, Amani Allen, Luke Klores, Tyler Hawkins, Dareese Mitchell, Russell Rosenthal, Malique Pringle and Assistant Coach Mooney.
The NY RENS 8th grade (14u) team went a perfect 3-0 this weekend in the FunSport NYC playoffs. After finishing the Fun Sport regular season with a 4-1 record, the RENS 8thteam earned the #1 seed in the Fun Sport playoffs that took place this weekend in Brooklyn, NY.
The first round of Fun Sport playoffs took place at Jefferson HS pitting the 8th RENS against the 7th Grade Brooklyn RENS team. The Brooklyn RENS were led by Kareem May, a tough-nosed, talented guard. However, the NY RENS were to deep and to physically imposing for an upset to occur in the introductory round, as the RENS pulled away late and closed the game by a margin of 20 points on Saturday.
The quarterfinal round pitted the Bronx Gauchos against the RENS on Sunday at South Shore HS. Long, lean, and athletic, the Gauchos kept the game close through the first 20 minutes of the game by employing a zone defense. At the 8 minute mark, with the RENS leading by 8 the Gauchos were forced to come out of their zone, leaving numerous driving lanes open for the RENS guards to penetrate and dish. The final score displayed a 15-point victory by the RENS, but the game was a tougher fight than the score indicated.
The semi-finals on Sunday matched the RENS against a talented Metro Flyers team coached by Dermon Player. This was the match up of the day, as both teams are considered by many to be the two strongest teams in the NYC area. A closely contested battle fought in the paint and on the glass eventually came down to the last few possessions of the game. The RENS proved up to the task pulling out a 1-point victory that showed improved maturity and toughness from the NY RENS.
While Cole Anthony and Joseph Toussaint repeatedly proved why they are the best backcourt in NY over the course of the weekend, it was the toughness of PhilippsJoseph and Jordan DuFont that steadied the RENS in the semifinal victory. Add in the continued development ofJaylen Davis, the floor leadership of Judah McIntyre, and the perimeter shooting of Sam Klores, and the NY RENS find themselves the championship game at the Barclays Center on December 23rd.
Coach Andy Borman: “I truly love coaching these young men. They aren’t perfect, but they are getting closer every single game. We are learning how to play through foul trouble and how to close out games. This is a fun group that really makes it enjoyable to coach them and watch them grow.”
Christ the King junior Rawle Alkins is New York City's top boys basketball player
Alkins has already drawn interest from numerous Division I major programs, including Louisville, UConn and Kansas.
BY Justin Tasch NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, November 23, 2014, 11:30 PM
Rawle Alkins came running into the gym at Christ the King on a recent Saturday afternoon after the boys basketball team’s practice had already started, holding a note proving he had been at a dentist appointment.
It amused Royals coach Joe Arbitello, who already knew where the 17-year-old Brooklyn native was and trusted the star junior was being truthful.
“He’s calling me, telling me he’s gonna be late,” Arbitello said. “He never misses practice. He’s never late.”
Arbitello can’t help but gush about the 6-foot-5 Alkins’ on-court ability and off-the-court maturity. The two have developed a strong bond — “that’s my man,” Alkins says of Arbitello — the foundation for which was set when Alkins came back to New York after spending two years in Florida.
The coach held Alkins out of the first half of the 2012-13 season so he could get his grades in order, and even when Alkins began playing in the second half of the season, he was brought along slowly off the bench despite his obvious talent. That set the tone for their relationship, which has also resulted in them winning back-to-back state Federation titles.
I think he understood at that point that I wasn’t going to just use him to play basketball, that I actually wanted him to be a good student,” Arbitello said. “And I realized about him that he wants to play for me, he wants to play at Christ the King and he wants to be part of something special.”
The number of letters Alkins has received from colleges can stack as high as the rims Alkins routinely leaps beyond for his seemingly effortless, acrobatic dunks, like the windmill he pulled off as a freshman at the state Federation championships which is still widely talked about.
Alkins, ranked among the top 30 players for the class of 2016 by most recruiting services, and as high as No. 15 on one list, feels he’s evolved beyond his reputation as just a dominant scorer, improving his ball-handling enough to the point where colleges are recruiting him to become a point guard. Still, finishing remains the strong, athletic Alkins’ greatest asset. After a sophomore season in which longtime local recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski says Alkins forced things at times, Konchalski believes the emergence of sophomore point guard Jose Alvarado will get Alkins, whom Konchalski dubbed a “man among boys” physically, back to his bread and butter.
“I think his role returns to that of finishing plays,” Konchalski said. “That’s what he’s good at. He’s not gonna have to initiate as much. He’s gonna get the ball in situations where he’s gonna be effective. He’s not gonna have to create as much off the dribble. So I think he’s gonna have a terrific season.”
Not averse to the widespread attention he’s garnered in recent years, Alkins is courteous and without much of an ego. He’s been a joy to coach for Arbitello because he doesn’t boast an entourage like some of the city’s previous high school standouts, and he genuinely prioritizes winning over personal statistics, though Arbitello did say he thinks Alkins can average a triple-double this season.
“I don’t really care too much about scoring, to tell you the truth,” Alkins says. “I just want to win. If there’s times where a team’s saying ‘Stop Rawle, let someone else beat us,’ we’ll allow that to happen. The big thing to me is just winning.”
Still, like any teenager would, Alkins basks in the glow of camera flashes during a photo shoot after practice and enjoys the texts and visits from college coaches. He visited the likes of Villanova, Indiana and N.C. State in October, holds offers from schools like Kansas and Louisville and is being recruited by powers such as Kentucky as well as locals St. John’s, Seton Hall and Fordham.
He’s in no rush to pick a college, though. Alkins’ current focus is on growing into a leadership role. As a freshman he looked up to stars like Jon Severe and Malik Harmon. Last season Adonis Delarosa, Andre Walker and Travis Atson provided veteran presences.
He’s in no rush to pick a college, though. Alkins’ current focus is on growing into a leadership role. As a freshman he looked up to stars like Jon Severe and Malik Harmon. Last season Adonis Delarosa, Andre Walker and Travis Atson provided veteran presences.
Now Alkins is the most experienced of the bunch, and he’s embracing the responsibility.
“I love it,” he said. “The guys, they respect me a lot. My teammates, I don’t see any egos on the team. Guys just want to get better every day in practice.”
Alkins volunteered to perform a series of dunks for a photographer after an extended photo session and sit-down interview, happy to offer his time.
Arbitello sees a kid grateful to be in a position to succeed, an ideal face for a city basketball scene once regarded as the best in the country, only to have taken a dip in recent years.
“He appreciates stuff,” Arbitello said. “He appreciates what Christ the King has done for him. If New York City had more Rawle Alkinses, New York City would still be on top right now.”
In a thrilling fashion, the Rens avenged their early season loss to the
Gauchos to claim the 2014 Live City Basketball Tournament Championship.
It was a hard fought game played at a frantic pace back and forth, but
the Rens were able to slow the pace down and take control late in the
game. The Gauchos did everything they could to claw back from a 9 point
deficit at halftime causing turnovers and creating foul trouble, but the
Rens never relinquished their lead and with great poise, finished the
game with a 31-26 win.
The 8th grade RENS overcame a quick clock, a tough atmosphere, and a physically imposing Gauchos team to win the Live City Championships on Sunday afternoon. Playing in front of a packed house at the Jordan Brand gym at Terminal 23, the RENS overcame a 4-point halftime deficit to claim another championship this fall. The RENS were led by the physically tough play of guard Joe Toussaint and the calming influence of Judah McIntyre at the point throughout. Cole Anthony showed flashes of brilliance on both sides of the ball and Philpps Joseph and Erlyn Ramirez controlled the boards. Ed Sanchez andJayden Davis provided depth and length on the wings as the RENS showed maturity by closing out a hard fought win.
Coach Andy Borman: “I am proud of the way that our kids fought today. It was our 4th game in about 24 hours and our kids showed some maturity in closing out that game in a hostile environment. We are no where close to reaching our potential and I am excited to watch these young men grow in to the players they are going to become.”
RENS Grade School Director accepts Coveted HS job at Bishop Loughlin 10/23/14 - 01:12 PM
Billy Council, RENS Grade School Director, has accepted the JV Head Coaching position at Bishop LoughlinMemorial High School. Long known for its rich basketball tradition, Bishop Loughlin plays in the historic NY Catholic League. Coach Council will work with Varsity Head Coach Ed Gonzalez as they continue to build on an already solid foundation of success. Said Council, “I am grateful to be a part of the rich basketball tradition at Bishop Loughlin as Head Coach of their freshman team.”
Coach Billy Council has a history of success on the court and on the sideline that is matched by few. He has coached 2 different teams to Division One National Championships and has also led a Freshman team to the New York City Championship at All Hollows in 2005. More importantly, Coach Council has established himself as a mentor that instills values, morals, and discipline in all of his players leading them to unparalleled success on the court and in the classroom.
“We are extremely excited and proud of Billy Council. He will do an outstanding job at Bishop Loughlin and will bring his knowledge and passion to their young men, as he does with our players each and every day.” – Executive Director Andy Borman
8u Division – The RENS 3rd graders won the GauchosRoundBall Classic in style with a victory over the Ball Hoggs in the championship game. After starting the game strong and building a 13-3 lead in the first half, the 3rdgraders were lead to victory through strong team play under the direction of Head Coach Craig Keyes.
7th Grade loses in Gauchos Roundball Chip 10/21/14 - 11:37 AM
This past weekend, the RENs 7th grade team played in the Gauchos Roundball Classic, defeating a tough Wiz Kids team in the semi final by 6, which set up a re-match game with their Bronx rivals the NYC Gauchos.Just two weeks ago, the RENS walked away with a huge win atFunsport, leaving the Gauchos wanting revenge on their home court. The game came down to the final 2 seconds, leaving the RENS with a chance to tie, but a last second buzzer beater fell short, leaving the RENS with a 2-point defeat.
Roster for Picture from Left to Right:Back Row: David Cole, Kyle Murphy, Akeem White, Tyrese Jenkins, Jacob Rodriguez Front Row: Marco Morency, Jessy Jimenez, Jake Klores, Jose Alverado, Devin Clyburn Coaches: Dan Klores, Hector Almodovar,
Coach Hector Almodovar's never say die, poised and tough-minded 15-year-old high school team swept eight consecutive opponents to win the championship at the prestigious Adidas Super 64 Invitational this past weekend in Las Vegas.
The team, which played a combination of defenses throughout the week won two overtime games against Indiana Elite (IN) & Eric Gordon All-stars EG10 (IN), blew out Garner Road (NC) in the semis who beat them in Orlando on a last second buzzer shot eventually beating Game Elite (GA) out of Atlanta in the championship.
The 15u Rens team was consistently followed throughout the entire tournament by a bevy of Division 1 coaches. Offers and interest have followed this team home from Vegas after playing in front of perennial power programs such as Syracuse, Butler, Miami, and Cincinnati to name a few.
The Rens squad was led by tourney MVP Jose Alvarado (Christ the King) and Marco Morency (Mt.Vernon). Six foot seven bigs Dave Cole (Christ the King) and Akeem White (South Shore) supplied inside power. Crafty point guard Jake Klores (Riverdale) spotted the open man at will and dynamic shooting sixth man Jesse Jimenez (W.h.e.e.l.s) gave opponents fits. New additions swingman Devin Clyburn (Chafee School) and 6'5" Tyrese Jenkins (St. Anthony’s) caused major mis-match problems throughout the entire week. Kyle Murphy (Chaminade) a deadeye three-point shooter banged home shot after shot and 6'2", jumping jack, Jacob Rodriguez filled out the lean roster.
Coach Almodovar's group won 25 of their final 27 games, captured the nationally renowned championship at Rumble in the Bronx (NY), and did it all without the fanfare of 'giant names. "We were a TEAM,' said the coach, 'we pulled together through tough times. We refused to back down. I'm so proud of all them. They are what the RENS is about......hard work.”
The 14U RENS took their talents to the West Coast, traveling to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Live Tournament hosted by Big Foot Hoops. It was dramatic to see how the team had matured since the beginning of the season. They were focused and controlled and handled their business like Men. They had little trouble beginning pool play, with decided victories against Washington State's Fusion Elite and APT Sports from California. They had something to prove and they weren’t letting anyone stand in their way, playing RENS basketball with nothing to stop them. They made smart decisions, moved the ball and crashed the glass, defeating their opponents with ease. The team had a slow start in their final pool game against California's Basketball Mechanics. After being down 10 at the half, the RENS got back to business and finished on top, blowing the Cali boys out by 15, earning them the top pool spot and moving them to the Platinum bracket.
In the round of 16, they faced the HDEBA Red and beat them by 23, heading to the Elite 8 and the San Francisco Rebels, a scrappy team that proved to be their toughest competition. Down by 19, it suddenly clicked for the RENS who put on the pressure and turned the game around, going up by five. After trading baskets down to the wire, the RENS lost by one on a heartbreaking last-second buzzer beater. Although it was a tough defeat, it was a great game, and the team showed real resolve. They never quit and that’s what its all about!
The 14U RENS took their talents to the West Coast, traveling to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Live Tournament hosted by Big Foot Hoops. It was dramatic to see how the team had matured since the beginning of the season. They were focused and controlled and handled their business like Men. They had little trouble beginning pool play, with decided victories against Washington State's Fusion Elite and APT Sports from California. They had something to prove and they weren’t letting anyone stand in their way, playing RENS basketball with nothing to stop them. They made smart decisions, moved the ball and crashed the glass, defeating their opponents with ease. The team had a slow start in their final pool game against California's Basketball Mechanics. After being down 10 at the half, the RENS got back to business and finished on top, blowing the Cali boys out by 15, earning them the top pool spot and moving them to the Platinum bracket.
In the round of 16, they faced the HDEBA Red and beat them by 23, heading to the Elite 8 and the San Francisco Rebels, a scrappy team that proved to be their toughest competition. Down by 19, it suddenly clicked for the RENS who put on the pressure and turned the game around, going up by five. After trading baskets down to the wire, the RENS lost by one on a heartbreaking last-second buzzer beater. Although it was a tough defeat, it was a great game, and the team showed real resolve. They never quit and that’s what its all about!
Congrats to The RENS 8th Grade Champs 4/30/14 - 09:17 AM
The New RENS 8th Grade team take their rightful position as champs this weekend in the Silver Bracket of the Lebron James Shooting Stars Classic 2014 Tournament. The boys rallied together and fought through some adversity and tough competition. They met the Slam and Jam Hoyas in the semi-finals winning 58-57 while losing Nayshon Kane to an ankle injury in the 2nd half. The boys were literally unstoppable as they navigated the uncharted waters of losing the dependability of one of their best players. They ultimately took down Team Melo in the Finals 53-51. Congrats to the coaching staff and the players for a valiant effort and bringing home some new hardware!
Coach Steve Harris 7th grade 13u RENS team swept all five opponents in the AAU Super Regional this past weekend at Island garden in Hempstead, NY. On Saturday, the fast breaking squad won its first two games by an average of 50 points each. Sunday the team defeated a taller Gaucho quintet by 20, a feisty five from SCAN and in the finale. They fought hard to beat new jersey's MetroFlyers for the sixth try in seven face offs this season 58/51. Later on Sunday, the shorthanded RENS beat New Heights to win the league title at 'Live City,' a three month long league held at Riverbank State Park. Harris' team went undefeated along the way. Harris' new 5th grade team is coming along in fine fashion. Coach Kat's 3rd and 4th grade RENS continue to make their mark as one of the regions finest.
'One and Done,' versus the apprentice taking over for Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun creates numerous storylines in tonight's NCAA Championship. The traditional media has, of course, hammered all to death and will continue to do so, even after one of these fascinating teams is crowned. However, Kentucky coach John Calipari hardly receives the appropriate recognition for not only being a superb leader and tactician, but for being an innovator who has successfully battled the status quo in the face of under deserved criticism and massive jealousy. Let's face facts, no one who loves and cherishes the game can or should 'defend' one and done, and say it is or has been 'good for basketball.' It's not. On the whole, it's a rule that has duped families into believing that their 18/19 year old sons are better off leaving college after what is 'really' one semester to 'get ready' for the NBA. It completely negates ALL the positive impact of the collegiate experience: forming relationships with other children from different cultures, being exposed to classrooms and teachers where wisdom and knowledge are central, enjoying the freedom of being away from home, learning new ideas, having fun, and from a basketball perspective, growing, physically, but more important mentally.
The culture, especially the AAU culture is HURTING the game of basketball. Little kids aren't merely pampered, they are allowed to have 'power'. I see this at every practice and game of one of the RENS teams, which is as good a squad as there is in the country with a fiercely dedicated coach, but influenced by a few youngsters who at their young age think they know more than they do, and therefore are terrible listeners with egos and attitudes that will diminish the team's overall success. This same false sense of knowledge stems all the way into college ball. However, there the chances of it being corrected are greater if a student/athlete spends four years, NOT merely one. So, it's a given that 'one and done' from a societal/cultural and from a developmental point of view is a bad idea. For every 'success' story there are 20 kids who left college early and will never make it in the NBA, nor be able to enjoy or rekindle the precious years offered at a major university. Then there is the larger issue, the fallacy, the distortion which whispers that the only goal that matters is the NBA. Every single coach, GM and owner I know feels the more time a young player spends in college the better 'basketball player' he becomes. Yet, 'one and done' is the rule based upon the legit argument that states the dire economic circumstances of many children compels them 'to take the money while it is there.' This makes sense, of course, and as a result the decision to flee college is a personal choice.
The downside to the game is severe though especially for coaches who seek 'the blue chippers,' and watch them leave in spite of their hard, hard work. Calipari is the Master, he is the success story who plays within this rule. He has to have an iron stomach, balls of steel and the will of the Western Pennsylvania parents he is from. How else can he possibly regroup every year? How else can he emotionally prepare for the challenge, the re challenge of recruiting the gems, molding them into champions, losing them, pleasing a spoiled fanbase and starting all over? Coaches with 'cleaner' reputations at Duke, UNC, Arizona, Syracuse compete with him on the recruiting trails now, find and lose their own 'special players,' don't win the whole thing, and lose the kids after one year, which has to drive them bonkers. Can you imagine Coach K with Kylie Irving and Parker? A Boeheim with his studs returning. The truth is fans would love it, but those days are over. Hopefully, Adam Silver will convince the NCAA and the Player's Association that it is best for the game to keep kids in college at least until they are 20 years old. Yet, here is Calipari, the best recruiter in the game and a hall of fame tactician who has dominated the era, whose 'success' has been 'pioneering,' whether you approve of the rule or not. The game needs him much the same way it needed the creativity of other legendary breakers of the status quo.
In the mid 1950's, Frank McGuire, the 13th child of a NYC cop left St Johns to take the coaching job at North Carolina. This was a Jim Crow south where blacks were discriminated against, as were Catholics and Jews. McGuire didn't care, he recruited five NYC kids, four Catholics and a Jewish boy, and in 1957/58 they won an undefeated National Championship! His 'Underground Railroad' branded the ACC, opened future doors to other minorities, created massive rivalries and brought the game to a region in love with football. In the mid 1960's, Don Haskins, at a small Texas college, Texas Western, pointed his middle finger at the status quo by not merely recruiting eight black players from the inner cities, but by starting five of them versus the then lily white Adolph Rupp Kentucky team in 1965/66 and won the NCAA championship! In the late 1970's and 80's, John Thompson created the Georgetown mystique, vilified by much of white America for his all Black rosters, whom he taught, mentored and tutored to be young and proud off the court first. Like McGuire 25 years earlier, his players wore jackets and ties to every game, stayed together, and bought into an 'us against the world' attitude....Thompson's first true star was Eric Floyd, a 6'3" shooter whom the media nicknamed 'Sleepy' because he could lull an opponent prior to eating them up, the name took hold. Yet here was Thompson, insisting the child be called 'Eric.' I'll never forget him stating, ' nobody is going to give a real job to a young man named 'Sleepy.' These were the rebels of the game because they approached things differently, and Calipari belongs to be mentioned with them. He has succeeded by being himself. Believe me, McGuire, Haskins and Thompson were every bit the salesman that Coach Cal is. They were far from 'pure' too, their championships changed the game in many ways. Yet, even they did not have to endure the challenge of a new starting unit every year. Calipari is much more than a recruiter. There are dozens upon dozens of coaches that recruited exceptional talent over the years and NEVER won the NCAA title: Guy Lewis at Houston, Lefty Driesell at Maryland , Digger Phelps at Notre Dame and UCLA's Ben Howland.
The point is 'coaching' is very, very complex, and in the era of 'one and done' even much more so. Having the strength to say 'no' to the spoiled youngsters of today coming out of the AAU world requires rare personal strength, maybe Calipari has figured out that his job of masterfully recruiting these young stars year after year is actually less stressful than having them around for three or four years? If so, it adds to his brilliance and obsessive work ethic. Believe me he not only has to deal with his young players, all of whom were highly touted since the 4th grade, but with their parents and 'handlers' who believe they are experts in all facets of life. The question that needs to be asked and discussed today is, 'what is the definition of success?' If let's say a strong, intelligent coach such as Anthony Grant at Alabama, much in the mold of legendary African American teachers, the great John McClendon and Ben Jobe throws kids off his team because they could or would not 'listen' nor obey the rules is he to be praised by the University or fired if his teams don't win? Is he building better men or failing to reach the expectations of a dumbed down culture? This is the next big question college administrators need to solve. 'One and done' is a media made phrase designed to diminish the work which goes into coaching, and Calipari, a rebel in the face of jealous commentators who like to hear their own voices is a true champion. Tonight's game is a historic and fun matchup. Kevin Ollie, a rookie coach has proven to be a strong leader. His kids are obviously buying into his messages, and that is the first and foremost characteristic of a true championship mentality.
Dan Klores, the founder of the RENS is the author of 'Roundball Culture' and a frequent contributor to many newspapers and magazines on basketball including the New York Times, Village Voice, Grantland. He is also the Peabody Award winning film director of 'Black Magic' and 'Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs the New York Knicks."
RENS duo helps UConn win NCAA title 4/9/14 - 04:27 AM
Congrats to RENS alums, Terrence Samuels and Kenton Facey, sophomore sensations on Coach Kevin Ollie's NCAA 2014 Champions from the University of Connecticut. These two young men were brought into the program during its' first ever season in 2012 by Coaches Shawn Marks and Kariem Meminger, respectively. Marks said, 'they are wonderful young men who will never forget the experience of winning it all!' Meminger added, " it's players like Kenton and Terrence who have helped to make the RENS the class organization and leading program in the metropolitan area in such a short time. We are all so proud of them and their families."
RENS high schoolers will be offered FREE SAT prep sessions via our incredibly successful partnership with St Francis College, led by Dr Peter Leibman. Artie Cox is in charge so parents should contact him asap.
The RENS 13U 7th grade won all six of their games this past weekend to garner the prestigious A Game Tournament crown in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Playing a half dozen games in 26 hours, and handling teams from Virginia, Philly, Jersey, let alone hometown rivals SCAN and New Heights was no easy chore and something which defines this ever improving team as toughminded and resilient..the RENS 3rd and 4th grade quintets both made it to the semifinals at A Game as well! Big cheers to coach Kat and coach Danny Green, their players are learning how to play the right way, fundamentals first!!!
Congrats to Director Artie Cox
Super congrats to RENS high school director Artie Cox , Coach Joe and the rest of the Christ the King staff for winning their second consecutive New York State Basketball crown last week in Albany. CTK had to beat the exceptionally talented and well coached teams from Cardinal Hayes, Bishop Loughlin and Lutheran during their final run. Congrats to all those players and coaches as well.
RENS on the move!!! RENS alum, 6'5" guard Terrence Samuels out of South Shore High in Brooklyn has been lighting it up for NCAA Final Four contender Connecticut. The sophmore burned Iowa State, hitting three consecutive jumpers in Madison Square Garden. His RENS and UCONN teammate, 6'9" Kenton Facey, out of LI Lutheran is a steady presence on Coach Kevin Ollie's bench, set to emerge next season as a bonafide star. RENS' stud Jermaine Lawrence helped Cincinnati make it to March Madness , while 6''8" sophmore Wayne Martin at St. Francis of Brooklyn led his Terriers to a post season bid as well.
13U RENS makes it to CHIP at Live City Winter League 3/26/14 - 10:14 AM
13U makes it to CHIP at Live City Winter League. Coach Steve Harris' under manned, but tough minded 7th grade quintet erased a 15 point deficit on sunday evening to clip the Harlem Jets 56/53 in the semi finals of the Live City Winter League, held at Riverbank State Park in Harlem. The RENS were able to dress seven players, two fouled out, one had a 103 degree fever , and two others played with four fouls..Coach Hector Almodovar, who sat in for Coach Steve said, 'we never gave up...this team has a lot of heart. Our sidelines were like a MASH unit, but the kids played defense and had each others' backs thru thick and thin.'
RENS 6th grade team win in a classic March madness way 3/24/14 - 04:46 PM
RENS 6th grade team win in a classic March madness way
Congratulations to the RENS 6th grade team on a outstanding, nail bitting championship win yesterday at Kip Bay Boys and Girls club East Costal Sectional against CAS Douglass 50-47. Jalen Smith knocked down 4 free throws in a row to seal the game with 2.5 seconds left Charles Lovett walked away with the tournament MVP. Great job by Coach Gee and Coach Green.
Congrats to RENS high school director and NYC basketball legend: ARTIE COX 3/10/14 - 10:51 AM
Congrats to RENS high school director and NYC basketball legend, Artie Cox. Along with our friends at Christ the King, which won its' fourth NYC CHSAA championship in the last five years today in front of 5,000 fans at Fordham by defeating Bishop Loughlin.
Rens Athletic Director Billy Council was honored as Man of the Year at The Bronx Leadership High School ESI program. Expand Success Initiative is a group designed to build leadership qualities in young African and Latino men. The major goal of the ESI is to help our young men become strong, positive members of their schools, household,and local communities. They strive to help young men realize their full potential via the opportunities that arise from succeeding in school. Beyond these goals they also spend time discussing social issues and how these issues can affect the daily lives of their members.
GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS TO THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS 2/26/14 - 04:38 PM
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the nomination of Crystal McCrary to the New York State Council on the Arts to help shape and advance the future of arts in New York State.
Crystal McCrary is the Mother of a RENS 13U 7th grade player, Cole Anthony. McCrary created and executive produced the documentary series Leading Women and Leading Men for BET and directed and produced a feature-length documentary, Little Ballers, which chronicles the lives and challenges of young basketball players on their journey to the AAU National Championship.
Rens 8th Grade team reached the semi-finals in the Basketball Spotlight's Clash For The Cup. The Rens were 4-0 going into the semi- final game against Playaz falling short to seize the win. Congrats to the coaching staff and the players for a valiant effort!
Print out a copy to bring with you to the tryout sessions.
Time? Place? Date?
Time and location of tryouts will be sent by email to those who have registered by filling in the online forms.
(Trying out for the New Renaissance Basketball Association does not guarantee you a roster spot on a team and is purely based on the coaches and evaluators decision.)
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: JERMAINE LAWRENCE 2/3/14 - 07:24 AM
For the week of February 3rd, 2014:
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: JERMAINE LAWRENCE
Jermaine Lawrence is an alumni of The RENS out of Pope John Paul XXII High School in Sparta, NJ. His efforts of 18.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 6.4 blocked shots as a junior earned him national notice. He is now a 6'9 power foward at the University of Cincinnati where he plays 18 minutes a game for the Bearcats as a freshman. Jermaine Lawrence, who has been out with a turf toe injury on his left foot, came back against UCONN last Thursday. “My legs are good,” Lawrence said. “I was surprised at how good I was doing, that I really wasn’t that winded. It was good to get back and just be part of the team again. It’s been a long time, so I’m excited.” Jermaines rebounding was missed a ton by the Bearcats. He's one of the best offensive rebounders on the team. His offensive rebound percentage is near 10%. UC went from pulling down over 40% of their misses to 34.4%. "We’re going to need him to achieve what we want to achieve,” Cronin said. "Just depth wise, UC missed Lawrence a lot."
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: WAYNE MARTIN 1/27/14 - 07:24 AM
For the week of January 27th, 2014:
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: WAYNE MARTIN
Wayne Martin is an alumni of The RENS out of South Shore High School. His efforts led South Shore to the PSAL 2011-2012 quarterfinals. He is now a 6'6 foward for NY St. Francis College Brooklyn. Wayne Martin scored 17 points, including a late go-ahead basket in overtime, as St. Francis (NY) edged Wagner 73-72 Saturday.Martin drove and banked in a shot over his defender with 24 seconds left to put the Terriers up 73-72. Wayne ended with 9 rebounds and 7 blocks, to add to his game winning efforts.
RENS Alumni Player of the Week: ADONIS DELAROSA 1/20/14 - 07:25 AM
For the week of January 20th, 2014: RENS Alumni Player of the Week: ADONIS DELAROSA
Adonis Delarosa is an alumni of The RENS. He is a 6'10 center, senior for the defending state champion Royals at Christ The King High School in Middle Village, New York. The 6-foot-10, 270-pound dominated in the paint and helped lead the Royals to an 83-76 victory over the the Molloy Stanners leading all scorers with 18 points in a CHSAA Class AA rivalry packed Jack Curran Gymnasium. It was an MSG televised High School game. “Nobody in the CHSAA I feel can guard me at this point,” Delarosa said. “Anybody that has to match up with us is going to have a problem.” Adonis basketball skills have garnered multiple Division 1 college offers from Fordham, Hoftra, Florida, Providence, Rutgers, SMU, St. Johns, and Drexel. Adonis Delarosa is also a McDonald's All American Nominee.
RENS Alumni Player of the Week: ANTHONY PATE 1/13/14 - 07:25 AM
For the week of January 13th, 2014: RENS Alumni Player of the Week: ANTHONY PATE
Anthony Pate is an alumni of The RENS. He is also the MVP of New York State Boys Basketball Federation Tournament of Champions Class A Final 2012 out of Long Island Lutheran High School in New York. Anthony is now a 6`3 combo guard at The New Hampton School where he is currently in his post graduate year. Pate's basketball skills have garnered multiple Division 1 college offers from Boston University, Hoftra, Maine, UMBC, St. Bonaventure and more. He is averaging 18 points per contest, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: KENTAN FACEY 1/5/14 - 07:25 AM
For the week of January 6th, 2014: RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: KENTAN FACEY
Kentan Facey is an alumni of The RENS out of Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, New York. His efforts got him selected 2013 Gatorade's New York boys basketball player of the year. The UConn recruit averaged 14.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocked shots last season, leading Luhi to a 24-2 record and Class AA Final appearance. He is now a 6'9 Power Forward for The University of Connecticut. "I think I'm mentally mature enough to handle situations that are thrown at me," said Facey, who played 18 minutes against Maine and took down nine rebounds. "The hardest thing coming in here to overcome was the whole clearance situation and I got past that. That prepared me for limited time, or taking time to learn and contribute later. I realize college ball is something I'm going to have to adjust to, and learn more." Head Coach Kevin Ollie said: "The guy I'm really proud of is Kentan. It's not all about the game, it's about his attitude and how he's preparing. That shows you he's ready. I don't know what the next game is going to entail, but when he gets in there he has to take care of his minutes. He took care of his minutes tonight."
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: TERRENCE SAMUEL 12/30/13 - 07:25 AM
For the week of December 30th, 2013:
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: TERRENCE SAMUEL
Terrence Samuel is an alumni of The RENS out of Victory Collegiate High School in Brooklyn, part of the South Shore Educational Complex. His efforts led South Shore to the PSAL 2011-2012 quarterfinals. Samuel averaged 11.7 points, 4.8 assists per game last season, leading South Shore to a 17-9 record.
He is now a 6'4 Point Guard for The University of Connecticut ."He's like a sponge," said Lasan Kromah, a fifth-year senior who transferred from George Washington. "Always wanting to learn, always looking for ways to better his game. He's doing all the little things. He's going to be a good player, and it's not easy for a point guard being a freshman." Look for RENS Alumni Terrence Samuel to lead the UConn Huskies for years to come.
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: JERMAINE LAWRENCE 12/23/13 - 07:26 AM
For the week of December 23rd, 2013:
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: JERMAINE LAWRENCE
Jermaine Lawrence is an alumni of The RENS out of Pope John Paul XXII High School in Sparta, NJ. His efforts of 18.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 6.4 blocked shots as a junior earned him national notice. He is now a 6'9 wing foward at the University of Cincinnati where he plays 18 minutes a game for the Bearcats as a freshman. Coach Cronin said, “The biggest thing is trying to get him comfortable on offense and getting him some opportunities on offense. We haven’t had the ball in his hands to where he can get himself going offensively. That’s our fault more than it is his.” Look for RENS Alumni Jermaine Lawrence to be a force down the stretch of the the Bearcats regular season and tournament run.
RENS Alumni Jordan Fuchs accepts a scholarship 12/19/13 - 10:38 AM
Former New York RENS basketball player and Christ the King Royal, Jordan Fuchs has accepted a football scholarship to the University of Indiana. Fuchs, a 2013 grad prepped at Milford Academy this year. He quickly surfaced as one of the best tight ends in the country. Fuchs chose Indiana over Univeristy of Connecticut Rutgers and a plethora of Division 1 schools. His decision to choose football over basketball left many Division 1 hoops programs dissappointed. The RENS organization is very proud of Jordan Fuchs!
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: SHAMIEK SHEPPARD 12/17/13 - 07:26 AM
For the week of December 16th, 2013: RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: SHAMIEK SHEPPARD
Shamiek Sheppard is an alumni of The RENS. He is also a 1st team all state of N.Y.out of South Shore High School in Brooklyn, N. Y. Shamiek a 6`6 wing forward at Fishburne Military Academy where he is currently in his post graduate year. This past week, Sheppard's basketball skills have garnered him two Division 1 college offers from Duquesne and Kansas State College. He is averaging 15 points per contest, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, while playing on the #2 post grad team in the nation.
Dan Klores's first film gets primetime SHOWTIME airing tonight, Sunday December 15th, 2013. 12/15/13 - 04:17 PM
Dan Klores's first film gets primetime SHOWTIME airing tonight, Sunday December 15th, 2013.
'The Boys of 2nd Street Park,' the critically acclaimed first film of RENS founder, Dan Klores will air on Showtime 2 this evening at 10PM. The film which premiered at Sundance launched the Peabody award winning career of Klores, was made in 2003.'The Boys' is a bittersweet tale of love and loss which centers around a group of childhood friends growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950's whose safe haven was the neighborhood basketball courts. Klores follows their path thru the counterculture till today.
'The Boys' has material which is NOT for young children.
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: WAYNE MARTIN 12/3/13 - 07:26 AM
Wayne Martin
For the week of December 2nd, 2013:
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: WAYNE MARTIN
Wayne Martin is an alumni of The RENS out of South Shore High School. His efforts led South Shore to the PSAL 2011-2012 quarterfinals. He is now a 6'6 foward for NY St. Francis College and has been selected to be the Choice Hotels/Northeast Conference Rookie of the week for the second time. Wayne leads all NEC rookies in scoring (11.0) rebounding (5.9) and field goal percentage (.563).
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: JON SEVERE 11/25/13 - 07:26 AM
For the week of November 25th, 2013:
RENS Collegiate Player of the Week: JON SEVERE
Jon Severe the RENS alum and first team all NYC guard out of state champion Christ the King. He led his Fordham team to a 79/75 win over Manhattan on friday night by scoring a career-high 30 points. Jon, a 6'3" freshman was 'Mr New York State Basketball' last year. Fordham coach Tom Pecora is playing him 39 minutes per game for his 3/2 revitalized Fordham University Rams Athletics.
Jon Severe - 2013-14 Men's Basketball
via Fordham University Rams Athletics
#10 Jon Severe
Position: G
Height: 6-3
Weight: 186
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
High School: Christ the King
RENS/St. Francis College FREE Tutoring Program Launches for 2013/2014 Season 11/16/13 - 08:55 PM
On Wednesday evening, more than 25 fortunate grade school student athletes, ages 11 through 14, signed up for the FREE tutoring program the Rens established with the Department of Education at St. Francis College at a get-together there, hosted by the college's Dean of Education Peter Leibman and Rens founder Dan Klores and education coordinator Everton McIntyre. Dr. Leibman, 63, was extremely pleased with the commitment by the parents and the turnout which was more than double that of the inaugural year.
Rens grade school athletic director Billy Council who helped organize the event noted that the one-on-one tutoring program is the most progressive in the metropolitan area. St. Francis graduate students work individually with each child, travel to the student athlete's local school, library or classroom, and communicate directly with each participant's school and guidance counselor. Mr. Klores was thrilled when he said, "Last year, every child who participated saw his grades go up. It's beyond wonderful that this year we will be helping more than twice the number of families and children." Mr. McIntyre added, "This program is the Rens' reason for being. Of course we want to win games, but shaping minds, improving study habits and building self esteem are infinitely more satisfying." Each Rens participant is tutored in a single chosen subject during weekly sessions which are mandatory. Dr. Leibman noted that the Rens/St. Francis FREE program would begin its SAT and college preparatory training in late winter/early spring 2014.
RENS Community Outreach Efforts Continue 9/1/13 - 10:50 AM
Going against the advice of AAU basketball "experts" who were convinced that community outreach efforts were "a thing of the past," the RENS, under the leadership of high school director and veteran coach Artie Cox, have recently expanded their already successful outreach program. Founder Dan Klores announced today that in addition to continuing their special relationship with Anne Pinto's remarkable church program in Greenpoint, 'On Point', out of St Cecilia's parish, the RENS have allied themselves with L PAC on Jerome Avenue in the south Bronx and with Carl Benn's new grade school program in Far Rockaway. Artie Cox said, "Being associated with heroic local leaders like Victor Crespo at L PAC, Anne and all of her coaches, and Carl is a major part of our organization's mission. We are so fortunate to be able to give back to kids and parents who simply don't have the opportunities that others may have." Klores added, "When Artie shared his vision with me last year, I thought it was a 'no-brainer.' There is no greater proof of the success of these types of relationships than the 5th Grade DII National Championship trophy the On Point RENS brought back from Cocoa Beach this past July!" Coach Anne Pinto added, "Without the support and love of the RENS our children and parents would never have had such a memorable and unforgettable experience. We look forward to this marriage for years to come."
Adidas Makes Sponsorship Arrangement with RENS 4/16/13 - 12:03 PM
After only a year and a half, the RENS, who sent eight student athletes to D1 colleges in its inaugural campaign, received additional good news today, when Adidas, the global athletic wear company, agreed to help sponsor its teams. Look for the RENS elite 15′s, 16′s and 17′s boys quintets to play in Adidas’ prestigious events in Dallas, Las Vegas and Indianapolis.
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![12/12/2015 1:30PM -- New York, NY, U.S.A -- Quaran McPherson (L) wearing a special orange patch to raise awareness against gun violence battles for position on a rebound during a RENS league basketball game -- Photo by Andy Marlin USA TODAY Sports Images, Gannett ORG XMIT: US 134222 FTW 12/13/2015 [Via MerlinFTP Drop]](https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/nate_tabor-e1450873304798.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1)
I think he understood at that point that I wasn’t going to just use him to play basketball, that I actually wanted him to be a good student,” Arbitello said. “And I realized about him that he wants to play for me, he wants to play at Christ the King and he wants to be part of something special.”
Not averse to the widespread attention he’s garnered in recent years, Alkins is courteous and without much of an ego. He’s been a joy to coach for Arbitello because he doesn’t boast an entourage like some of the city’s previous high school standouts, and he genuinely prioritizes winning over personal statistics, though Arbitello did say he thinks Alkins can average a triple-double this season.
Now Alkins is the most experienced of the bunch, and he’s embracing the responsibility.
Billy Council, RENS Grade School Director, has accepted the JV Head Coaching position at Bishop 
