(Baltimore, MD) – Twenty three schools participated in this year’s Baltimore City Public schools Basketball Academy presented by State Farm at Morgan State University January 24-26. Students have received over $97,000 in scholarships since the Academy’s inception 17 years ago. This year, several student athletes received honors for their performance on the court, while enrichment programs in SAT prep, bullying prevention and social media usage were key aspects of the program.

“The academy overall was very impactful for our players. Given the ability to visit a college campus and sit in academic courses was important. The SAT preparation, and gang awareness allowed for students to not only prepare for after high school endeavors, but decisions they make in and out of school,” said Millford Mill Academy Head Basketball Coach Michael Silverman who is also Department Chairman of Physical Education & Health at the school.

While inclement weather caused a modification to Friday’s schedule, Basketball Academy Coordinator Bob Wade said that the organization was able to pull everything together quickly to make the revised schedule a reality.

The Basketball Academy is the largest and most-successful program of its kind in the country that immerses high school athletes in academics, athletics, financial literacy, Rites of Passage and more. In addition to basketball games and classes, students also visited several historical sites including the Reginald F. Lewis and Great Blacks and Wax Museums for cultural enrichment and the Delta Head Start program for service learning.

Coach George Petrides from Baltimore City College High School praised the Academy. “Without a doubt, the SAT prep class was the most impactful for our players…. Players from various schools get the chance to interact with one another. I would strongly recommend The Academy experience to schools that have not been fortunate enough to have participated in the program.”

“If given the opportunity, every coach should have their team participate in this event,” Silverman added.

Click to view the Basketball Academy MVPs.

Click to view the game winners.

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 Baltimore/Washington, DC, MTA, DTLR, 100 Black Men of Maryland, Inc., the Baltimore Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., MECU 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.