Mount Vernon Elementary Basketball League Draws Crowds In Second Week

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Basketball fever in one Westchester County city has turned out to be highly contagious.

Mount Vernon City School District's new co-ed elementary basketball league returned Friday to the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy for the second week of its six-week run, drawing another lively crowd of students, parents, and school supporters.

The district said the Friday night league is designed for elementary students and aims to give a wide range of children a chance to develop on the court. Team sizes are limited to about 10 players so students have a better chance of getting meaningful playing time. The games continue on Friday nights through Dec. 11, when the league championship is scheduled.

Parent Brandee Holloway, whose fourth-grade son played for Pennington School in the first game on Oct. 23, described a strong turnout when the season began.

"It was very exciting," Holloway said. "It was a jam-packed house. All the kids were energized. Their parents were involved and even though they were beating (Traphagen School) pretty well, (Traphagen) actually came back in the second half…. It was a learning experience for them."

Crowds also turned out for Friday's 5:30 p.m. game, according to the district's account of the event. Children in Halloween costumes added to the atmosphere, while music, a warmup session, and a concession table gave the evening a holiday party feel.

Students said the games are bringing opportunities some schools may not otherwise have. Layla Chapman, a third grader at Traphagen School, said the games were fun.

"I think it’s a good idea to do this because some schools don't have sports and it’s cool that this school has sports," Chapman said.

Coach Richard Garner, a fifth-grade teacher at Hamilton School, said the league has been a positive experience for students, especially those new to organized play.

"A lot of them haven't played organized basketball yet," Garner said. "When they started watching the other game that started before ours, they were kind of shocked, but I think they really enjoyed themselves."

The district said Traphagen School Principal Derrick Dunlap leads the new league. According to the district, Dunlap previously ran the Millennium Basketball League, now in its seventh year in New York City and serving students in seven charter schools and two public schools.

Garner said access is one of the league's biggest strengths.

"A lot of kids don't get the opportunity to play sports, so this is a great opportunity where it's not costing anything," Garner said. "Sometimes the programs that might be available are not they're not available to them based on financial hardship."