Registration Now Underway for Youth Summer Basketball in Lenoir
Registration is open for J.H. Jones Summer Basketball League at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Lenoir. The league is open to boys and girls from 8 to 13 years old. Registration for summer basketball ends on Friday, May 30, 2025. Players must turn eight years old on or before May 22, and cannot […]
Registration is open for J.H. Jones Summer Basketball League at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Lenoir. The league is open to boys and girls from 8 to 13 years old.
Registration for summer basketball ends on Friday, May 30, 2025. Players must turn eight years old on or before May 22, and cannot turn 14 years old before May 22.
The skills assessment will be Thursday June 5 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Players must show up ready to play basketball wearing tennis shoes, shorts, and a t-shirt.
The summer basketball league costs $10.00 for city residents and $15.00 for non-city residents. Visit the link in this story at our website to download the signup form, JH Jones Summer Basketball Signup Form 2025 (PDF). Bring the form and payment to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center to sign up.
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RICHMOND, Va. (May 8, 2025) – The ECNL is pleased to announce that Chicago Inter has been promoted into the ECNL Boys – Midwest Conference, and Colorado EDGE and Colorado Rush have been promoted into the ECNL Boys – Mountain Conference for the upcoming season. “We are thrilled […]
RICHMOND, Va. (May 8, 2025) – The ECNL is pleased to announce that Chicago Inter has been promoted into the ECNL Boys – Midwest Conference, and Colorado EDGE and Colorado Rush have been promoted into the ECNL Boys – Mountain Conference for the upcoming season.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming Chicago Inter, Colorado EDGE and Colorado Rush into ECNL Boys for the 2025-26 season,” said ECNL Boys Commissioner Jason Kutney. “Each club has had consistent success in the ECNL Regional League over multiple years, operating in areas of the country where we have identified growth opportunities. All of them will continue to push the league forward in level and quality.”
These promotions bring the ECNL Boys to 165 clubs nation-wide in the 2025-26 season, supported by almost 350 more clubs in the ECNL Regional League. Together, these two competitions represent the strongest and most stable boys’ youth soccer competition in America, with competition and showcasing opportunities for all, in the only platform with a proven pathway for performance.
Below is more information about each promoted club.
Chicago Inter
Location: New Lenix, IL
Founded: 2006
Chicago Inter will be joining the ECNL Boys – Midwest Conference after strong performances during the past few seasons in the ECNL Regional League. Last season, the club’s U15 team finished as runner-up in the ECNL Regional League National Finals to Philadelphia Ukrainians, another promoted club. This season, Chicago Inter’s U13 team is leading the ECNL Regional League – Chicago Metro and its U16 team is in second, both of which are currently qualified for the ECNL Boys Regional League Playoffs – Central. With two more teams within striking distance of a playoff position, Chicago Inter is primed for more success heading into its promotion.
“Being promoted to Boys ECNL is an incredible milestone for our program,” said Chicago Inter Technical Director Sena Halilovic. “It reflects the dedication of our players, coaches, and families — and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to compete among the nation’s best. Thank you to the ECNL, its board directors and its employees, you made our dream come true. It’s a great feeling to be a full ECNL club member with the boys and girls programs.”
Colorado EDGE
Location: Arvada, CO
Founded: 1969
Colorado EDGE has earned promotion into the ECNL Boys – Mountain Conference through its success within the ECNL Regional League – Mountain, where the club’s U18/19 team currently sits in first, and three more teams are one spot out of a playoff position. Last season, Colorado EDGE sent its U13 and U17 teams to the ECNL Boys Regional League Playoffs – Central, competing well against top clubs from the region.
“We are very excited and thankful to the ECNL for our promotion into the ECNL Boys,” said Colorado EDGE CEO David Kramer. “This achievement is a direct result of the dedication, talent, and hard work displayed by our players, coaches, and club leadership over the years. The ECNL is the gold standard of playing leagues and competition across the country and we look forward to competing against the best.”
Colorado Rush
Location: Littleton, CO
Founded: 1997
Colorado Rush is in its second season in the ECNL Boys Regional League – Mountain, and its success on the field has earned the club promotion into the ECNL Boys – Mountain Conference for the 2025-26 season. Colorado Rush currently leads the Regional League – Mountain in the U14 and U15 age groups, and is in second place in the U17 age group. Two more teams are just outside of a playoff position, giving the club the opportunity for multiple representatives at the ECNL Boys Regional League Playoffs – Central.
“Earning a place in ECNL is a tremendous accomplishment for our boys program,” said Colorado Rush President/CEO John Carroll. “This promotion recognizes the hard work and dedication of our players, coaches, and families. It also aligns with our commitment to offering the very best development pathway for aspiring collegiate and professional players.”
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About the ECNL:
The ECNL is the nation’s leading youth soccer development platform. The ECNL respects and celebrates the unique individuality of every youth soccer player and club, supporting and enabling them to unleash their unfettered passion and fierce tenacity in striving to achieve their potential.
The ECNL mission to Raise the Game is a total commitment to create the best possible environment for players, coaches, referees and administrators, with a determination to constantly question convention and challenge the status quo in youth sports.
The ECNL Commitment:
We will lead, set our eyes on new horizons, and pursue them relentlessly. Born out of the belief in a better way. Continued in the ever-evolving pursuit of excellence.
Job Title: Youth Basketball Coach Department: Youth Basketball Business Unit: KSE Location: Denver, CO Reports To: Youth Basketball Director Employment Type: Variable Hour, Non-Exempt, Seasonal Supervisor Position: No ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) is an American Sports and Entertainment holding company based in Denver, Colorado. KSE is committed to providing world class sports and […]
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) is an American Sports and Entertainment holding company based in Denver, Colorado. KSE is committed to providing world class sports and entertainment for both live and broadcast audiences. We are the employer of choice as the owner and operator of Ball Arena, DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, the Paramount Theatre, Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Colorado Mammoth (NLL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), Altitude Sports & Entertainment, Major League Fishing/Fishing League Worldwide (MLFLW), Winnercomm, Outdoor Sportsman Group, and SkyCam.
Position Overview:
The goal of the Denver Nuggets youth basketball department is to increase the participation, passion, and quality of youth basketball in the state of Colorado. This is achieved through various programming and relationships with local youth basketball operators. The youth basketball coach will teach the basics of basketball in a highly entertaining and engaging fashion. This position plays a vital role in the growth of youth basketball and the development of the Denver Nuggets fan base. This is a seasonal part-time position with employment concluding August 30th, 2025.
Position Duties
Follow policies established by DNBA, KSE, and Jr. NBA
Teach and demonstrate basketball techniques to youth ages 6-17 years old at Denver Nuggets Basketball Academy (DNBA) events
Build basketball lesson plans and curriculums as needed
Fan engagement/interaction as a Denver Nuggets Brand Ambassador
Provide customer service to DNBA participants
Travel to different locations within Colorado for DNBA events
Other duties as assigned
Position Schedule
Dates: 6.30.25 – 7.2.25 – 6:45am – 12:30pm
Location: Gold Crown Fieldhouse – 150 S Harlan St, Lakewood, CO 80226
Dates: 7.14.25 – 7.16.25 – 6:45am – 12:30pm
Location: NOCO Sports Center – 5699 Crooked Stick Dr, Windsor, CO 80550
Dates: 7.28.25 – 7.30.25 – 6:45am – 12:30pm
Location: The Courts Sports Complex – 11295 Washington St, Northglenn, CO 80233
Dates: 8.6.25 – 8.8.25 – 6:45am – 12:30pm
Location: Gold Crown Fieldhouse – 150 S Harlan St, Lakewood, CO 80226
Additional events TBD
Working Conditions & Physical Demands:
Typical office conditions
The ability to physically demonstrate all skills necessary for the sport being coached
Continuous: standing, walking, jogging, lifting, and running
Frequently: stooping, kneeling, crouching, bending at the waist, twisting, balancing, squatting, standing in place
Lift 50 lbs. daily
Work is occasionally performed with exposure to extreme weather conditions or loud noises.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications (Applicants must meet these minimum qualifications at the time of hire)
High School Diploma or GED required
Possession of a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation to travel in state
Ability to pass a background check
One year of basketball coaching experience at the recreational, middle school, high school, or collegiate level
High school or collegiate level playing experience
Ability to build basketball related lesson plans and curriculums
Customer service experience
Must be able and willing to work the majority of DNBA. Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Knowledge of technical aspects of the assigned sport and willingness to continue to learn new ideas pertinent to the sport or coaching in general.
Must be able to obtain required training certifications including but not limited to First-aid, CPR, and AED, SafeSport, USA Basketball, and Positive Coaching Alliance. All training must be completed within 60 days of hiring.
Competencies/Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
A strong passion for youth basketball
Ability to understand and carry out instructions given in written, oral, or diagram form
Ability to deal with problems involving several variables in a variety of situations
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision as well as in a team environment
Ability to communicate with individuals of all ages and all experience levels in a clear and concise manner. Comfortable working in front of large crowds
Must be personable, enthusiastic, and very outgoing
Organized and detail driven
Ability to apply superb judgment and to work collaboratively
Ability to positively represent the Denver Nuggets brand
Compensation
Base hourly range: $18.81 per hour
Equal Employment Opportunity
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Philomath Harriers hosting youth track and field meet on Saturday
The annual Philomath Harriers home youth track and field meet will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the high school’s Clemens Field. The meet will feature approximately 300 young athletes from across the Willamette Valley, ranging from second to fifth grade. Spectators are welcome to attend. Scheduled events on the track include the 100, 200, […]
The annual Philomath Harriers home youth track and field meet will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the high school’s Clemens Field.
The meet will feature approximately 300 young athletes from across the Willamette Valley, ranging from second to fifth grade. Spectators are welcome to attend.
Scheduled events on the track include the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 4-by-100 relay. Field events will be turbo javelin, long jump, high jump and softball throw. The meet’s organizer said a highlight of the event is the popular 50-meter race for children ages 5 and under 9, which is held immediately following the sprint relays. Another popular event is the coaches relay.
The Philomath Harriers will be represented by more than 40 young athletes.
Emotional debate on transgender rights, girls sports draws hundreds to Maine State House
Rep. Elizabeth Caruso, R-Caratunk, presents LD 868, a bill that would require school sports teams to be designated as male, female or coed, before members of the Judiciary Committee at the State House Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal AUGUSTA — The debate over transgender athletes competing in girls sports drew hundreds to the Maine State House […]
Rep. Elizabeth Caruso, R-Caratunk, presents LD 868, a bill that would require school sports teams to be designated as male, female or coed, before members of the Judiciary Committee at the State House Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA — The debate over transgender athletes competing in girls sports drew hundreds to the Maine State House Thursday for a daylong series of public hearings on proposals to restrict participation and roll back gender identity protections in the state’s antidiscrimination law.
Bills taken up by the Judiciary Committee would cut state funding to schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in girls sports, require sports teams to be either male, female or coed, and prevent schools from allowing students to use restrooms that don’t correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth.
One bill would revise the Maine Human Rights Act to remove parts of the law that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. School districts and the governing body of high school sports in Maine cite the law as why they allow students to participate in sports in a way that affirms their identity.
The hearings come after the Trump administration sued Maine last month for allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls sports, saying it violates a federal law protecting women from discrimination in education. The administration also has moved to cut off federal funding to the state until it bans trans athletes, although the state has so far fended off any cuts in court.
Two transgender athletes in Maine have attracted scrutiny amidst the national attention, although it’s unknown how many trans students are participating statewide. Soren Stark-Chessa, a high school junior from Falmouth, spoke about her experience as a transgender cross-country and track athlete while testifying against the bills Thursday.
“When I realized I was trans and started running on the girls team, my perspective underwent a huge shift,” Stark-Chessa said. “Now, I wasn’t just competing as a way to manage stress. I was being open about who I was and I was able to form connections and bonds through this wonderful activity.”
“In short, my world went from black and white to vibrant color when I was able to exist as my true self,” she added.
Students opposed to bills that would ban transgender athletes from girls sports and roll back discrimination protections demonstrated in the Maine State House Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
The Maine Principals’ Association, the nonprofit that oversees high school athletic competitions in Maine, also weighed in on the bills Thursday, testifying neither for not against them. The MPA adopted the policy allowing trans athletes, which state officials say is consistent with the state’s antidiscrimination law.
Jared Bornstein, a representative of the MPA, said the group will follow whatever laws the state or federal government establish. But he also asked the committee to make the law “fully one or the other and avoid the middle ground,” such as by allowing the MPA to decide transgender athlete participation on a case-by-case basis.
“It would be our preference to have either fully allowing or fully disallowing,” Bornstein said.
BILL SUPPORTERS: IT’S ABOUT FAIRNESS
The bills heard Thursday were submitted prior to the Trump administration’s lawsuit, although the national attention has intensified debate at the State House. All of the proposals are from Republican lawmakers.
Rep. Elizabeth Caruso, R-Caratunk, said Thursday that her bill, LD 868, requiring school sports teams to be designated as male, female or coed, and prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports, would bring Maine into compliance with Trump’s executive order on the issue and prevent a loss of federal funding.
Caruso’s bill also would require schools to designate restrooms and changing rooms for use by males or females only, based on sex assigned at birth.
“The heart behind this bill is to provide safety, fairness, privacy and a fair playing field where all students have the opportunity to participate in sports,” Caruso said.
People on the fourth floor watch as House Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Katrina J. Smith, R-Palermo, Rep. Elizabeth Caruso, R-Caratunk, and supporters hold a news conference before the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee heard a series of transgender bills. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
She said the bill isn’t about discriminating against transgender students.
“Every athlete can still play and use private spaces,” she said. “But we have to have parameters for what that is. Every athlete will have a choice of two teams to play on: the team of their biological sex or a co-ed or mixed team.”
Two other bills also heard Thursday, LD 1134 and LD 233, would prohibit schools that receive state funding from allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports.
Supporters of the bills argue that transgender girls have physical advantages and that allowing them to participate in girls’ sports puts other girls at a disadvantage, causing them to lose first-place medals and podium spots, and potentially get overlooked by college coaches.
Bianca Wright, a 17-year-old student from Benton, told the committee that her girls basketball team played a game last winter against a co-ed team that was mostly boys. The girls felt uncomfortable and one girl ended up sitting out the game after she was elbowed in the face, Wright said. They also lost.
“The reason I tell you this is to give you an example of what it would look like if men continue to play against women,” Wright said. “I feel men should not be able to compete in women’s sports for many reasons. They are physically built differently, they play more aggressively. … For all the girls who worked hard all year, it’s disappointing to lose to a biological male.”
OPPONENTS: ‘TRANS KIDS JUST WANT TO BE ACCEPTED’
Opponents — and some lawmakers — raised questions about how schools would enforce policies prohibiting transgender athletes from participating. Opponents also said the bills seek to address something that isn’t really a problem while also perpetuating harmful narratives about transgender people.
“These proposals target transgender students — a small, vulnerable group of young people who already face significantly higher rates of bullying, homelessness and suicide,” said Beth Lambert, a parent from Fairfield who has also worked as a teacher and school administrator.
She questioned how schools would figure out which students are transgender.
“Will there be forms to fill out?” Lambert asked. “Investigations to open? If a student is accused of being trans, who is responsible for verifying that? Will teachers or administrators be expected to examine birth certificates — or worse, body parts?”
Stark-Chessa was joined Thursday by her brother and mother, who also testified against the bills.
Susan Stark said she is an educator who has had transgender students in her classroom before, though she didn’t really understand what it meant to be transgender until her youngest child came out as trans. When that happened, she said her family was mostly met with acceptance and love, though they did encounter some negativity.
“I suspect this negativity came from a place of not understanding what it means to be trans,” Stark said. “Trans kids just want to be accepted as the gender they are. Acknowledging this certainly benefits trans people, but in fact it benefits all of us to know we will be accepted as we are.”
Ellsworth High School student Felix Markosian, third from left, testifies against the transgender bills during a hearing before Legislature’s Judiciary Committee Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Felix Markosian, a senior at Ellsworth High School, told the committee that he received worried messages from trans friends earlier this week saying they didn’t know what they would do if the bills pass.
“Even these bills just being presented affects these kids so much,” Markosian said outside the hearing. “Even the thought of this becoming law and being the future is really scary and puts a lot of distress on these people. It’s not fair they have to go through that when every other kid in school doesn’t.”
Spokespeople for Gov. Janet Mills did not respond Thursday afternoon to questions about whether the governor has taken a position on any of the bills.
Attorney General Aaron Frey submitted testimony against the bills concerning transgender students in sports, as well as the bill expected to be heard later Thursday about removing gender identity from the Maine Human Rights Act.
HOW WOULD LAWS BE ENFORCED?
Some lawmakers on the Judiciary Committee also questioned how the bills presented Thursday would be enforced. The chairs of the committee, Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, and Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, both asked how schools would verify that a student is transgender.
Caruso said that students who play school sports already have to have doctor’s physicals, and that doctors could verify a student’s birth sex during the physical.
“What if the physician feels it’s their ethical duty to affirm the student’s identity and that is what is sent to the school?” Kuhn asked. “Would there be consequences for the physician? And when the form is submitted to the school, is that the end of it? What if the school or community have questions. Is there further investigation?”
“My understanding is the definition for sex has to do with their reproductive system, so the doctor I think has a duty to put on the form what they were born with,” Caruso said. “It’s sex, not gender, on the form. I think that makes it clear.”
She also noted that other states have adopted policies prohibiting transgender athletes in youth sports. Nationwide, 26 states ban transgender youth from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit that tracks gender equality issues nationwide.
Ropes & Gray Represents National Association of Basketball Coaches in Multimedia Rights Agreement | News & Events
Ropes & Gray advised longstanding client the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in a multi-year multimedia rights agreement establishing Van Wagner as the exclusive corporate marketing and sponsorship sales representative for the NABC and NABC Foundation. Under the agreement, Van Wagner will oversee the NABC and NABC Foundation’s official corporate marketing and sponsorship program, […]
Ropes & Gray advised longstanding client the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in a multi-year multimedia rights agreement establishing Van Wagner as the exclusive corporate marketing and sponsorship sales representative for the NABC and NABC Foundation.
Under the agreement, Van Wagner will oversee the NABC and NABC Foundation’s official corporate marketing and sponsorship program, including activation with key properties such as the NABC Convention, the Hall of Fame Classic multi-team event, NABC College All-Star Games, and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Experience.
The NABC provides professional development and advocacy for over 5,000 member coaches across college, scholastic, and youth basketball. The association operates as a collective voice for basketball coaches on national policy and legislative issues, conducts marquee events and presents many of college basketball’s most prestigious annual coach and player awards. The NABC Foundation supports the association’s charitable and educational initiatives.
Van Wagner is a leading sports advertising and entertainment agency with global experience in live events, sponsorship sales, multimedia rights, aerial advertising, broadcast signage and in-venue content production at some of the world’s largest sporting events.
The Ropes & Gray team included IP transactions partner Erica Han, senior counsel Dennis Coleman, who founded the firm’s sports law practice, tax partner Kendi Ozmon, and IP transactions associates Dan Freshman and Will Little.
Chet Lemon, 1984 Tigers World Series champion, dies at 70: ‘The kindest of men’
Chet Lemon, one of the most productive and under-appreciated players of his era, has died at the age of 70, the Detroit Tigers announced on Thursday. The club’s statement reads: “The Detroit Tigers join all of baseball in mourning the passing of Chet Lemon. While he was a World Series Champion and All-Star on the […]
Chet Lemon, one of the most productive and under-appreciated players of his era, has died at the age of 70, the Detroit Tigers announced on Thursday.
The club’s statement reads:
“The Detroit Tigers join all of baseball in mourning the passing of Chet Lemon. While he was a World Series Champion and All-Star on the field, perhaps his biggest impact came off of it. That includes creating the Chet Lemon Foundation and dedicating much of his post-playing career to youth baseball development.
“Our thoughts are with Chet’s family, friends and all those he coached, mentored and inspired.”
That foundation, founded in 2021, is dedicated to “raising awareness about stroke and aphasia, providing support to those affected, and continuing Chet’s legacy of giving back in youth sports,” according to its website. “What started as a response to a personal crisis has grown into a mission to empower others facing similar challenges and to inspire hope and resilience in the face of adversity.”
Lemon’s death comes after a long period of declining health, including repeated hospital stays for blood clots and more than a dozen strokes that left him unable to walk or talk, according to the Detroit Free Press.
A former first-round pick of Fremont High School in Los Angeles, Lemon spent parts of 16 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox and Tigers. Over that span, he put up an OPS+ of 121 with 215 home runs, 396 doubles, and a long history of plus defense at the premium position of center field. Along the way, Lemon earned three All-Star selections, and his playing career ended after the 1990 season with a total WAR of 55.7, which puts him just outside the top 150 all-time among position players. In November of 1981, the Tigers acquired from the White Sox in exchange for Steve Kemp, and Lemon went on to be a core contributor to the great Detroit teams in the years to come. One of Lemon’s best seasons came in 1984, when the Tigers barged to 104 wins in the regular season and then a World Series triumph over the San Diego Padres. In those five World Series games, Lemon had five hits and a pair of stolen bases, as well as an impressive outfield catch in Game 3.
“My heart goes out to [his wife] Gigi and the family,” Lemon’s teammate on those Tigers teams, Hall of Famer Alan Trammell, said in a statement. “Chet was a cherished teammate and friend. I’m so thankful for the time we spent together last summer when the 1984 team had its 40th reunion at Comerica Park. Today is a sad day for us. He will be dearly missed.”
Former teammate Lance Parrish remembered him as “the kindest of men” and for “that great smile on his face.”
“He was also a fierce competitor on the baseball field and a great teammate,” Parrish said in a statement. “I loved him like a brother.”