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    Courts Over Corners

    An upstream basketball league. A pathway to something bigger.Courts Over Corners is SBNP's basketball-based youth development program for middle school students. Each season combines organized league play with wellness, mentorship, and leadership development, creating a consistent place for young people to grow on and off the court. The hours outside school should offer more than somewhere to go. They should offer relationships, structure, opportunity, and adults who know a young person's name and potential.

    REGISTER OR REFER A TEAMPARTNER WITH USSUPPORT THE PROGRAMPHOTO GALLERY
    Courts Over Corners game night: players with backpacks lined up at the Fun'Nel Cakes and More truck
    Courts Over Corners game night. Funnel cake provided by Fun'Nel Cakes and More.

    Upstream, not crisis response

    Courts Over Corners creates consistent, voluntary opportunities for young people to connect with trusted adults during hours when structured activities may be limited.

    We work alongside organizations responding to immediate crises. Philadelphia needs both crisis response and sustained investment in the relationships, skills, and opportunities that help young people thrive.

    Every season uses basketball as the entry point to broader development: caring for one's body, managing emotions, working with others, making responsible decisions, and becoming a positive presence in the community.

    The program at a glance

    FORMAT
    Ten-week basketball and youth development season
    PRIMARY AUDIENCE
    Middle school students in grades 6, 7, and 8
    DIVISIONS
    Sixth grade, seventh grade, and eighth grade
    LOCATIONS
    Announced each season

    Cost: email info@joinsbnp.org to register a team for the league.

    THE HOURS THAT MATTER

    Consistency beyond the school day.

    SBNP is building structured opportunities across the school year, weekends, and summer months.

    • After school · school year

      Monday to Thursday

      3:30 to 5:00 pm

      Basketball, mentoring, wellness, and youth development activities during the after-school period.

    • Weekend programming

      Saturdays

      9:00 to 11:00 am

      Weekend basketball, skills development, wellness, and relationship-building activities.

    • Free youth basketball summer camps

      June to August

      8:00 am to 3:00 pm

      Structured summer programming that keeps young people engaged through basketball, wellness, leadership, and other enrichment activities.

    • Middle school summer league

      Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays · July to August

      6:00 to 8:00 pm

      Organized league play and team development for participating middle school students.

    Schedule note: activities, locations, eligibility, and availability may vary by season. Families should confirm dates and registration details before attending.

    Five skills beyond the scoreboard

    Courts Over Corners pairs basketball with practical learning that helps young people understand their bodies, make decisions, and work with others.

    1. Hydration workshops

      Players learn why hydration matters before, during, and after physical activity, how to recognize common signs of dehydration, and how to build healthy routines.

    2. Injury prevention workshops

      Players learn the importance of warm-ups, movement preparation, safe training habits, proper technique, and recognizing when an injury requires attention.

    3. Recovery workshops

      Players explore rest, sleep, nutrition, stretching, and recovery habits that support physical performance and overall well-being.

    4. Film study workshops

      Players review basketball situations to improve decision-making, recognize patterns, understand teamwork, and apply constructive feedback.

    5. Media training workshops

      Players develop communication skills, practice presenting themselves professionally, and learn to think critically about their public image and digital presence.

    WELLNESS, MINDFULNESS, AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION

    Athletic growth is only one part of development.

    SBNP incorporates wellness and mindfulness activities to help young people practice focus, self-awareness, emotional regulation, and recovery after setbacks. Through guided activities and supportive coaching, participants are encouraged to recognize emotions, pause before reacting, communicate effectively, and return to challenges with greater awareness.

    Activities are age-appropriate and delivered with attention to participant comfort, safety, and individual needs.

    LEADERSHIP THAT STARTS ON THE COURT

    Young people learn leadership by practicing it.

    Courts Over Corners emphasizes accountability, communication, teamwork, respect, and responsibility. Participants are encouraged to support teammates, accept feedback, solve problems constructively, and contribute positively to their communities.

    SBNP also seeks to create pathways for alumni and older students to become junior coaches, interns, mentors, and community leaders. If interested, please email info@joinsbnp.org.

    Amir Staten, in his Mister Morehouse College sash, straightening a younger student's collar on campus
    Mentor's pride at graduation: Amir Staten with a younger SBNP mentee at Morehouse College.

    ONE PATHWAY

    From player to coach to mentor

    The long-term vision is a program in which young people who benefit from positive relationships can eventually help create those opportunities for others.

    Amir Staten's journey from SBNP participant to Mr. Morehouse is one example of the potential of sustained relationships and opportunity. We are continuing to document alumni pathways and learn how participants return to support the next generation.

    15

    alumni currently coach or mentor with SBNPSource: SBNP, 2026

    Designed to learn what works

    SBNP is developing an evaluation approach for Courts Over Corners that goes beyond enrollment and attendance. We want to understand who participates, how consistently they return, what participants learn, how they experience relationships with trusted adults, and which program elements are most useful.

    Potential research methods include attendance tracking, age-appropriate surveys, interviews, and comparisons that are ethical and appropriate to the research question.

    EXPLORE RESEARCH & EVALUATION

    Why these neighborhoods

    SBNP's work is rooted in relationships built with young people, families, schools, coaches, and community partners.

    Our organizational history includes programming that began in Nicetown–Tioga in 2010, with subsequent work and relationships extending across Philadelphia, including Germantown, Mt. Airy, and Cobbs Creek.

    We focus on access to structured activities, positive adult relationships, athletic and personal development, and opportunities that support young people and their families.

    Neighborhood-level public safety information helps inform community conversations, but we do not use crime statistics alone to define a neighborhood or its young people. See Philly Safety Data.

    Join a season

    Parents and coaches can register a team. Schools, congregations, and community organizations can refer teams who may benefit from structured basketball and mentorship.

    REGISTER OR REFER A TEAM

    Build safer, stronger pathways for young people.

    Every young person deserves access to opportunities that develop their abilities, connect them with trusted adults, and help them imagine a future beyond the circumstances around them. Support SBNP through program sponsorship, research partnerships, referrals, volunteering, and donations.

    SUPPORT OUR WORKPARTNER WITH SBNPRESEARCH & EVALUATION