15th Annual Basketball Academy Fuses Basketball and Academics January 20-22 at Coppin State Univ.

Jan. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- (Baltimore, MD) –Returning for its 15th year, The Basketball Academy is the largest and most-successful program of its kind - immersing high school athletes in academics, financial literacy, NCAA Rites of Passage, cultural enrichment and competitive basketball tournaments. The Academy is a 501(c) 3 organizations that aims to prepare students for the SATs and college process, while exposing middle and high school players to competitive basketball teams from Baltimore City, Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties, with special-invited teams from New Jersey and North Carolina. Basketball Academy “graduates” include several NBA and NCAA division 1 players such as Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) and Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies). Presented by State Farm, the Academy will be held January 20-22 at Coppin State University, located at 2500 West North Avenue, Baltimore, MD. Tickets are on sale at participating schools or by calling 410-396-8569.

“In the 15th year, we plan to provide different experiences that relate to the issues that young people face today. This year we will have gang awareness and we’re helping the students prepare their portfolios for recruitment,” said Basketball Academy Co-Chair Dr. Warren Hayman, a member of the Community College of Baltimore County Board of Trustees. “We are also expanding the involvement of student athletes with the elementary and middle schools surrounding Coppin through service learning at the elementary schools and inviting the younger students to academy games.”

“The Academy is not a tournament, it’s a mixer. It offers more than just the average athletic event where you come and you play and you go home,” said Basketball Academy Co-Chair Bob Wade, Coordinator of Athletics for Baltimore City Public Schools. “At the conclusion of the three-day event, students will be more comfortable meeting the challenges of the SAT and being able to deal better with conflict resolution.”


Game Schedule
Thursday, January 20, 2011
3:30 pm   Poly vs. Woodlawn (G)
5:00 pm   Western vs. Milford Mill (G)
6:30 pm   Perry Hall vs. Archbishop Spalding
8:00 pm   Edmondson/Westside vs. Parkville
9:30 pm   Patterson vs. Milford Mill

Friday, January 21, 2011
2:15 pm   Douglass vs. Archbishop Spalding
3:45 pm   City College vs. Willingboro, NJ (G)  
5:15 pm   Perry Hall vs. Havre de Grace’
6:45 pm   Dunbar vs. Owings Mills
8:15 pm   Lake Clifton vs. Aberdeen
9:45 pm   City College vs. Rocky Mount Prep, NC


Saturday, January 22, 2011
9:30 am   Woodlawn vs. City College (G)
11:00 am Havre de Grace vs. Douglass
2:30 pm Milford Mill vs. Poly (G)
2:00 pm   Willingboro, NJ vs. Western (G)
3:30 pm   Aberdeen vs. Edmondson/Westside
5:00 pm   Owings Mills vs. Lake Clifton
6:30 pm   Rocky Mount Prep, NC vs. Patterson
8:00 pm   Parkville vs. Dunbar
9:30 pm   Milford Mill vs. City College

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Tickets for the Basketball Academy cost $10 per day. Children under five years old are admitted free. Tickets will be available at Coppin State University one hour prior to the start of the first game. Advanced tickets can be purchased at participating schools or by calling 410-396-8569.

Awards
The Basketball Academy’s partners and sponsors have traditionally awarded approximately $8,000 in scholarships to deserving students annually. The awards are offered in the following categories and more:

• Individual outstanding player MVP awards for a player from each team.
• Scholar Athlete Award – $150 savings bond is awarded to one individual from each participating team (total of 20 awards).
• The Basketball Academy Leadership Award recognizes two senior athletes’ (one male, one female) who best demonstrate unmatched leadership on and off the court, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Over the past 14 years, the Basketball Academy has awarded over $80,000 to select students.


About the Basketball Academy
The Basketball Academy is a 501(c) 3 based in Baltimore, Maryland, made possible by State Farm and a committee of volunteers from The City of Baltimore,  the Baltimore Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the 100 Black Men of Maryland, Inc. More information can be found at www.bballacademy.com.

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