Summertime for many parents can be a difficult time as they balance everyday responsibilities with keeping the little ones entertained. It can be easy to just let kids stay inside all day, playing video games, watching television, or surfing the internet unsupervised.
But Richmond parent Jeffrey Orellana, who grew up before the internet and understands the value of encouraging kids to spend more time outside, wanted something different for his son Samuel so he signed him up for a recreational weekend basketball league.
“My son looks forward to it every week. He waits for practice and his games. It keeps him outside of the house, which is something that’s hard for many kids in this generation, they just like electronics, mobile stuff, video games,” said Orellana. He believes the league has improved Samuel’s quality of life.
For coach Joemi Byrd, the Michelle Obama Elementary school teacher who started the free league in 2022, it’s all about giving back to his community.
This year marks the third summer Byrd’s I AM HOOPS team, the only elementary level recreational league in the city, has been playing in weekend tournaments across the Bay Area.
“We’ve been all over the Bay Area playing really good competition on Saturdays,” Byrd said, who has taken the team to Oakland, San Francisco, Hayward, and San Ramon, just to name a few.
One game was broadcast live for everyone to watch. “They had commentators, and the kids got to talk, and so people can actually find us online at NCS TV on YouTube,” Byrd said.
“We really develop our players here, working with them to develop their skills, learning the fundamentals, letting them be more competitive and giving them a chance to get up and down court and run plays every week,” Byrd said.
Teaching life skills through basketball
But Byrd says his purpose for the team goes further than just playing basketball. It’s an opportunity to provide his players with life-long skills.
Instilling productive examples of discipline and focus during practice is a high priority for Byrd, who makes sure his players understand the value of teamwork. Something as simple as learning to share the ball, explained Byrd, can make a big difference in the long term.
“We tell them, ‘In basketball you learn discipline,’ and you say, ‘When do you use that in life?’ (I tell them) ‘On days when you get up in the morning and you don’t feel like it, you still gotta be there,’” Byrd said.
Orellana’s son Samuel, a sixth-grader, said when he first started playing basketball he wasn’t very good, but he joined the team because his friends were also doing it. But with the help of his teammates and Coach Byrd, he was improved his skills in no time.
“I’ve seen my friends playing it, and I wanted to try it out. At first I wasn’t very good , but then practice got me better, and playing with this team helped me a lot,” he said. “I love getting the practice in. Instead of just staying home, doing random stuff, I could be here, practicing for my future career.”
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“I love getting the practice in. Instead of just staying home, doing random stuff, I could be here, practicing for my future career.”
— Samuel Orellana, sixth-grade basketball player
When players have disagreements on the court during practice, for example, Byrd said, it presents an opportunity to explain to them healthy ways to express their frustrations. He’ll tell his players, “In real life, everything doesn’t always go your way, and how are you going to handle those things, and we talk about that.”
Self-confidence both on and off the court is another life pillar that Byrd is trying to instill in them. He explains the importance of having a growth mindset, the view that if they work hard enough for something, whether that be academic or personal, if they put in the work, there’s nothing stopping them from achieving it.
For Jeffrey Orellana, being able to have a place where his son can express himself, while learning important life skills like teamwork, has only resulted in positive growth.
“My son has been with the team for two summers now. It’s really great for the kids honestly, this is what they really need. It keeps them away from things, trouble, and it keeps their mind focused on something good for their future,” Orellana said.
Staying on the court and offline
Children who participate in recreational sports are spending less time plugged in to their devices. Byrd recalls growing up in the 80s and early 90s when summers only consisted of playing outside. Now technology has shifted that reality for so many kids.
“Technology has most of our kids’ attentions throughout the day, especially during the summer, the kids are glued to the TV or glued to their video games, or glued to their phones, and just for them to have that break in there and get out and exercise is healthier for them,” Byrd said.
In a recent study by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, it was found that on average children ages 8-12 in the United States spend four to six hours a day watching or using screens.
Orellana understands that it’s his responsibility as a parent to encourage his son to be more active. He has seen firsthand how when parents don’t encourage their children to do this, their children become more isolated.
Since joining the team, his son has shown a higher interest in school — often even wanting to miss outside appointments just to not miss out on class time.
“I think programs like these keep kids focused and wanting to keep coming back to school,” Orellana said.
Byrd is hopeful that there can be more teams like the one he created.
“I want this to continue to grow to where I have other coaches that will continue to be a part of the work, even start a girls team down the line, just see it grow more.”
The team, which runs on donations, has a Gofundme campaign set up to help offset the cost of tournament fees and gas for traveling. The team is trying to raise a total of $1,200, of which they’ve raised $390 thus far.
