Bounce Back

Each Saturday morning for the past 20 years, Saturday Hoops has brought the community together to transform the lives of local youth.

But this past Saturday was special.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this program, Cincinnati Youth Collaborative brought together kids from all three Saturday Hoops locations to compete in a Knockout Tournament at  Cincinnati State Arena. More than 400 people participated in the event, including players, volunteers, local celebrities, and mascots.

Along with basketball, Saturday Hoops also offers a variety of creative, instructional, and physical activities meant to engage local youth, model cooperation, and have fun. Saturday Hoops is held at the Lincoln Recreation Center, Dudley S Taft Boys & Girls Club, Winton Hills Recreation Center and Ziegler Park.

The Knockout tournament held a celebrity round, plus brackets for 7 and under (Dribble Knockout), 8–12 year-olds, 13–17 year-olds, and those 18 and up.

The weekend-long celebration of Saturday Hoops, which included a gala on Friday evening, raised more than $100,000 to support Saturday Hoops’ mission to transform the lives of youth in the community.

CYC empowers young people to overcome obstacles and excel by providing a range of services designed to keep young people in school, prepared for college and career, and on the pathway to success. Bringing together over 1,200 volunteers and over 100 corporate partners, CYC strives for dropout prevention by offering mentoring, college readiness and success, and career preparation.