By James DeWeese
Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside) tossed the inaugural tip-off for the Gioia-YMCA All-Star Basketball League April 3 under the watchful eyes of the parents who packed the bleachers at IS 204 in Long Island City.
Through May, six teams of 10- to 12-year-olds will face off once a week in the league, a free weekend and after-school initiative being cosponsored by Gioia, the Long Island City YMCA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The playing is nice, and the program is aimed at helping kids make productive use of their out-of-school time, Gioia said, but “what it's about is them learning to work together.”
Nine-year-old Mitchell Cheung's orange-jerseyed Rockets lost their first game, but not for lack of hustle from one of the team's shortest members.
Watching Cheung bob, weave and indulge in a few three-point attempts, Gioia said “they're so much better than me.”
Cheung's parents, who were sitting with him in the stands after the game as the next two teams prepared to take the court, said Cheung had played before.
In addition to their weekly games, players also have 1 1/2 hours of after-school practice every week.
“It's good,” said Darlene Potocnik, whose 10-year-old son, Austin Rosa, is also a member of the Rockets team. The league “keeps them busy, keeps them athletic and (Austin) gets to meet people.”
Joey Mesquita and Evaggelia Popolis, both 10, said they met and became friends while playing during their first practice the week before. “I like having (the league). We're friends.”
“At the center of every good neighborhood is a good school,” Gioia said, explaining that educational and extracurricular activities had to be available to everybody, regardless of financial background.
The new league pulls many players from the nearby Queensbridge Houses and Ravenswood Houses complexes, Gioia said. Queensbridge is the largest federal housing project in the nation.
When Gioia came into office two years ago, he founded a similar baseball league at Queensbridge Park after noticing that a permit was needed to use the fields there.
“You don't get nine, 10 kids together to get a permit,” he said of the process. So he and his staff took it upon themselves to attend to the formalities.
Since then, the baseball league has ballooned to more than 200 players, Gioia said.
The goal, Gioia said, is to “create year-round after-school programs.”
Gioia said education is one of his top priorities as a first-time councilman. During his first six months in office, the former White House staffer toured every public school in his district, speaking with some 5,000 students.
Gioia said he continues to visit about a school per week, although with the budget season approaching, he may have to curtail his trips.
“Studies show that extracurricular opportunities improve student achievement and attendance.”
Reach reporter James DeWeese by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
