Maya McFadden Photos
Johnny Cummings: Keep your eye on the ball, not me.
Johnny “JC” Cummings stepped on the court where he once reigned, not to sink a three-pointer, but to pass along wisdom about the game of basketball to an up-and-comer he hopes will follow in his footsteps.
Cummings, a New Haven-grown basketball talent, Wednesday joined a dozen kids looking to learn the game of basketball at Dixwell’s Scantlebury Park basketball court.
That’s where he honed his game as a kid, before going on to play high school and then college ball.
The nonprofit S.P.O.R.T (Streets Poet’s Cipher Real Truth) Academy brought Cummings on board to lead a start-up youth basketball league.
The league came together after Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison noticed dozens of young kids playing on the Scantlebury basketball court with no guidance from a coach or older kids.
“Most times you can’t fix something all by yourself, but you can make those connections to get the help,” Morrison said.
Morrison called up her longtime friend and community organizer Edward Trimble, S.P.O.R.T Academy’s founder and CEO. After a walk through of the park with some of the academy’s mentors, Trimble launched the league two weeks ago, adding some structure and training to summer hoops in the park.
Cummings, 62, agreed to being the head coach for the league when his nephew, a S.P.O.R.T Academy volunteer, reached out on behalf of the program. “I’m a basketball fanatic. No wasn’t a option for me,” he said.
The other league coaches are New Haven natives; Blease Griffin, Lamar Lee, S.P.O.R.T Academy volunteers Byron, Tyrece, Randy, and Eric Myers.
“We went out and got the best of the best for the best of the best,” Trimble said.
League coaches Eric Myers, Randy, Tyrece, Byron.
Beginning in sixth grade, Cummings was a regular as a kid on the Scantlebury, where he honed his game. He went on to play for the basketball teams at Wilbur Cross High School (Class of’78), Nathaniel Hawthorne College, and the University of New Hampshire. He currently works in shipping and receiving for Yale University.
On Wednesdays the players do drill on fundamentals like dribbling, passing, and talking to their teammates. They put those skills to practice during unofficial scrimmage games on Saturdays. Trimble reserved the court with the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation on these days for the month of August; he hopes to continue into the fall.
The goal is for the initiative to become a free S.P.O.R.T Academy league for youth to join to get started with the game of basketball and good enough to get on a high school team.
“Most of them were out here double dribbling and traveling. That’s not going to get them on a team,” Trimble said.
Trimble gathered a group of six volunteers involved with S.P.O.R.T Academy in the past to act as coaches and mentors for the team of kids ages 9 to 14.
As the fall approaches, Trimble is working on partnering with a local school or the Q House to have an indoor location for the team to play and expand.
S.P.O.R.T Academy is a youth mentorship program that offers enrichment services centered around teaching life skills through the game of chess. Even on the basketball court, the S.P.O.R.T Academy team incorporated the strategizing skills of chess into the game. “We’re rooted in chess. It’s more than just a game; it’s a mindset. Strategy is not just needed on a chess board,” Trimble said.
“This league will unfold a new square on the chess board,” Trimble said.
Edward Trimble, Inju Yun, Jeanette Morrison.
Morrison also called on another community partner to assist with the program; Mid‑K Beauty Supply store owner Inju Yun. Yun stopped by this Wednesday practice with Morrison to donate a $675 check to the league for black and gold uniforms.
“I want a good community,” Yun said. “I really hope they grow.”
As of Wednesday about 15 players make up the league, enough for two teams. Trimble’s goal is to have enough players to have at least ten teams.
For the first hour Cummings led the team in stretches and defense and rebounding drills.
A tune of dribbling balls, heavy breathing, and coach whistles synchronized. When the players’ arms got tired and drooped, the echo of the coaches’ voices made them spring back into the air.
Tips from coaches were shouted from the sidelines while the kids played: “Follow the ball.” “Slide your feet.” “Put your arms up and out.” “Talk to your team.” “Take your time.”
For the last half hour the team played a short game to practice zone defense, with each player covering a specific spot on the court.
Cummings said he hopes to teach the youth that “basketball opens doors.” “There’s more to the world than New Haven,” he said.
And: “Basketball can keep you out of trouble and around the right people.”
Growing up, Cummings lost five brothers to street violence. They helped pushed him toward sports and away from the streets he said. “Most of us just need that someone to believe in us,” he said, as he suited up to be one of those someones.