Community Spotlight - HoopHall Assists

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Hoophall Assists is the signature community engagement program of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. We partner with organizations across Western Massachusetts and Southern New England and seek opportunities in the cities, regions and countries where we host tournaments and events.

The focus of Hoophall Assists is to educate and inspire young people and community organizations through the fundamental values of basketball that Dr. Naismith believed in so strongly. We also utilize our museum and event resources to create positive outreach opportunities for the Hall and our Hall of Fame family. We are honored to recognize just a few of the incredible groups with whom we work.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS ON CENTER COURT

The Hall of Fame was pleased and proud to welcome our neighbors to Center Court for the 2019 Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative / C3 Forest Park Policing All Star Games in cooperation with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department. Young people from Holyoke and Springfield who participate in after school programs at the Holyoke Boys & Girls Club and local Springfield schools were invited to showcase their skills in 3 games that emphasized sportsmanship, teamwork and fair competition. Local political figures and Law Enforcement Executives joined the Event to offer support and positive encouragement in this vibrant and important ongoing initiative. The Hall is grateful to Edward Caisse of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney Anthony Gulluni for their partnership and ongoing support.

ENSHRINEMENT 2019

We continued our tradition of community outreach with the Class of 2019. HoopHall Assists gives students and community members the opportunity to hear how Hall of Famers have persevered to overcome obstacles in their lives and careers. While celebrating the opportunities that the game of basketball created along their journey.

Teresa Weatherspoon and Vlade Divac joined cheering students at Commerce High School while Jack Sikma attended a Springfield Rotary Club meeting with local business leaders,

An All-Star roster of Sidney Moncrief, Chuck Cooper III, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, Jim Naismith and members of the Harlem Globetrotters joined students at the 4th Annual Educational and Leadership Luncheon which was hosted at Springfield College in partnership with Beta Sigma Boule’.

The weekend wrapped up with the National Basketball Retired Players Assoc and Jr. NBA “Full Court Press” Youth Clinic with Vlade Divac, Sidney Moncrief, Teresa Weatherspoon, Spencer Haywood, and Nancy Lieberman. The clinic took place on the appropriately named “Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams” at the Basketball Hall of Fame.