18th Annual Baltimore City Public Schools Basketball Academy Presented by State Farm Set for Morgan State University, January 23-25, 2014
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Edie House
410-545-1870
Bballacademy.com
18th Annual Baltimore City Public Schools Basketball Academy Presented by State Farm
Set for Morgan State University, January 23-25, 2014
(Baltimore, MD) – Returning for its 18th year, The Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS)
Basketball Academy is the largest and most-successful program of its kind—immersing high school athletes in academics, financial literacy, Rites of Passage, gang awareness, bullying prevention and competitive basketball games. Over the years, the Academy has awarded over $105,000 in scholarships and has prepared Maryland NBA stand-outs Will Barton, Rudy Gay and Gary Neal, among others. In 2014, the Basketball Academy will reinforce its motto, “Academics + Athletics equals a Win/Win Combination,” while adding additional elements to the program, including an essay contest, $10,000 3-Point Shoot-Off and competitive matches that expose the city’s most talented youth to each other and the broader community. Tickets to the Academy cost $10 per day. Children under five years old are admitted free. Advanced tickets can be purchased at participating schools or by calling 410-396-8569.
Each year, the Academy enhances its academic offering to stay current with today’s popular culture and situations student athletes face. Additions this year include a day-long SAT prep course at Dunbar High School with longtime partner John Swann of Dayton, Ohio.
Academic Coordinator Dr. Warren Hayman is enthusiastic about new elements to this year’s Basketball Academy, “In addition to SAT Prep, we are introducing an essay contest, Bring your Brain to the Game, where each team will select a student to discuss and then write an essay about how to connect academics to athletics, with the best essay writer winning a $250 award. We also will have cyber and in-person bullying training and a course on social media best practices.”
The Basketball Academy has remained resilient over the years because of its unique academic components and workshops, its outstanding presenters and a concept that is different from any other three day tournament or mixer of this nature, echoed Basketball Academy Co-Founder Bob Wade, Educational Specialist, Interscholastic Athletics, Baltimore City Public Schools. “The Basketball Academy has improved over the years due to the various partnerships that have been developed with outstanding corporate sponsors and civic organizations.”
Stay tuned to bballacademy.com for the 18th Annual BCPS Basketball Academy schedule. For sponsor, partner and advertising opportunities, contact 410-396-8569 or visit bballacademy.com.
About the Basketball Academy
The BCPS Basketball Academy is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Sponsors include State Farm, Under Armour, 92Q Jams, Black McDonald’s Operators Association of Baltimore/Washington DC, MECU, E-Rate Elite Services, 100 Black Men of Maryland, Inc., the Baltimore Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Afro American Newspapers. More information can be found at www.bcps.org/athletics or www.bballacademy.com. Visit the Academy on Twitter at @TheBBallAcademy or Facebook.com/BCPSBBallAcademy.