Midnight Basketball: Need Volunteer Coaches

I’m proud to announce the third year of Midnight Basketball at Nolan Richardson Recreation Center. Midnight Basketball is a basketball program designed to give youth something fun and safe to do on summer nights. Everyone between the ages of 13 and 18 can participate. Every year, we have improved the program to better suit the needs of youth in our community, particularly those that live the surrounding neighborhood. Depending on who you talk to, the surrounding neighborhood is called the Angel's Triangle or the Devil's Triangle. There is some drug dealing in this neighborhood and the youth often don't feel safe and have lots of temptations waiting on street corners. The youth in this area have asked me for more recreational facilities and more things to do.

Last year over 100 youth participated in the Midnight Basketball program.

The one thing that would really take the program to the next level is to have volunteer coaches who are there to mentor and to help build up teamwork and cooperation. The budget we have only provides for staffing of the center and for referees.

This year’s program will be on Thursday and Friday nights from 9 PM until midnight. The program will run from June 10 until August 13. It is a ten week program.

We would love to have coaches who could make a commitment for the full length of the program but are also glad to have coaches who may only be able to make it for a couple of nights throughout the length of the program.

Please let me know if you are interested in helping out. I can be reached at 915-541-4416 or at byrdsm@elpasotexas.gov.