By Joseph Staszewski
Haron Hargrave is branching out in his efforts to give back.
The former Campus Magnet basketball star, who plays professionally overseas, left the comfort zone of the court for his latest project. Hargrave hosted a charity flag football event in conjunction with Ballin 4 Peace and his H20 Basketball Organization Aug. 15 at Murry Bergtraum Field on the Lower East Side in the shadow of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.
Hargrave, whose streetball moniker is H20, has run the Queens Week basketball tournament for nine years in an attempt to promote non-violence. He also put together a charity bowling night in June. With the flag football event, he hoped to combine the excitement about the start of football season and preparations for the approaching academic year to help to raise money and collect pencils, pens, notebooks and other items for students who may not have the ability to buy their own.
“I wanted to bring awareness to the kids,” Hargrave said. “They need school supplies. Everybody is not rich.”
Staples donated school supplies and anyone who attended was asked to give $10 or bring supplies to the games. Those in attendance first saw two of the best teams in the Showcase flag football league take each other on. That was followed by a celebrity game that featured Hargrave, former St. John’s standout Anthony Mason Jr., Internet music sensation D.J. Webstar and Battle rapper Cortez. Stars of the Starz show “Power,” Michael Ferguson and Marc John Jefferies also played.
Mason Jr., a friend of Hargrave, said it was an easy decision to come out and support the cause. He sees Hargrave as someone he can learn from as he tries to begin his own non-profit ventures.
“Just the grind, when you see it in an individual and at the same time giving back, it’s a lot,” Mason said. “It motivated me.”
He joked it was the first time he has competed “professionally” in flag football and didn’t know there were so many rules other than just pulling the flag. He played some time at quarterback before Hargrave took over and led his team to victory with an MVP performance.
“You know you’re not good at the sport, but you get to talk smack,” Mason Jr. said. “It’s always fun when you jump into another sport.”
It’s actually what Hargrave did with this event a week before Friday’s Queens Week kickoff at Brookville Park. He expects to make the flag football games a regular occurrence, but may do it earlier to allow for more local kids and summer camps to attend and possibly participate.
“I feel like you have to share the wealth and spread the love,” Hargrave said. “I did basketball, then bowling and now football.”
