WEST BOISE, Idaho — After decades of sitting dormant, a plot of dirt in West Boise is finally getting an upgrade. City leaders have broken ground on the final phase of the Charles F. McDevitt Youth Sports Complex — an 8-acre addition next to the park’s busy baseball fields, home to Northwest Ada Little League.

Until now, the site has been little more than an overgrown patch of weeds and dirt along Eagle Road. The city has allocated about $1.2 million in impact fees from new development to transform the area into a multi-use community park, set to open in 2026.

WATCH: See how a long-dormant patch of dirt in West Boise is being transformed into a vibrant community park —

West Boise park to get $1.2 million upgrade

“This is going to be a whole new complex for the neighborhood to enjoy,” said Doug Holloway, director of Boise Parks and Recreation. “You’ve got play facilities now, you have places where people can ride their bike, you have a pump track, we’ve got walking paths… now all of a sudden you have something that people can really utilize.”

Holloway said the project reflects the city’s mission to make sure every Boise neighborhood has access to top-tier park amenities.

“It’s been great… the Centennial Neighborhood Association has been awesome to work with,” Holloway said. “Anytime you can add more amenities that involve the community, engage the community, that’s going to make for a more vibrant and healthy community.”

For neighbors, the groundbreaking is a long-awaited moment.

“It’s fantastic… you can’t imagine,” said Kathy Graham, president of the Centennial Neighborhood Association. “Eagle Road is the busiest road in Idaho, and everyone’s driving by for years and years as the patch of dirt has been laying there… and we’ve been wanting these kinds of opportunities to gather. So now we’ll have that opportunity.”

Graham said she can already envision the completed park filled with activity.

“People everywhere. A place for people to gather, bring their friends, bring their family, and enjoy this beautiful park in Boise,” she said.

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — A North Tonawanda High School senior is gaining national attention for his athletic achievements — and the inspiring story behind them.

17-year-old Derek Black plays football, ice hockey, and lacrosse for the Lumberjacks, with football being his favorite sport. Born without his right hand, Derek has never let that slow him down.

WKBW

“I just like being competitive and just playing with my friends too,” Derek said.

That drive has impressed his coaches and teammates alike.

“Derek comes to practice ready to learn every single time, makes no excuses, goes out there and does a great job for us,” said his hockey coach, Josh Montalbo. “In his situation, he’s an inspiration to all of his teammates on what can be possible.”

Derek says his goal is to show others that limitations don’t have to define you.

“I can show people that it can be done…you don’t have to be different or an outcast, you can just be you,” he said.

Through the years, Derek’s parents have encouraged him every step of the way.

“I never thought we’d be here, and we’re just so proud of him,” his mother said.

“The stuff he does — sometimes I walk away from games thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t believe you just did that,’ he amazes me,” his father added.

Now, Derek is in the running for Sports Illustrated’s Youth Athlete of the Year. He’s currently in first place as the second round of voting comes to a close.

“It’s like an equal playing field — I’m just like everyone else,” Derek said. “I just hope other people like me can feel equal to everyone else too.”

His teammates say Derek’s determination makes him more than just a star athlete.

“He proves that heart, talent and character matter far more than any limitation.”

You can find the link to vote and follow along on Derek’s progress here.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State University Athletics, in collaboration with White Sands Federal Credit Union (WSFCU) and Van Wagner, is excited to announce the return of the Lil’ Aggies Youth Club, a free program designed for young fans aged 17 and under.
 
The Lil’ Aggies Youth Club offers children unique opportunities to connect with NM State Athletics while promoting financial literacy through youth banking. To participate, children need to open a youth account at WSFCU, which requires a $15 initial deposit, and the credit union will waive the membership fee.
 
Lil’ Aggies Membership Perks Include:

• Welcome gift including a Lil’ Aggie T-shirt, lanyard, and membership card
• Birthday card during the member’s birthday month
• Chance to be the “Lil’ Aggie of the Game”
• Fun challenges and events
• Age-appropriate money lessons through the Money Mammals Program
• Hands-on goal setting and progress tracking
• No monthly fees, no minimum balance, and earn dividends on every dollar

Extras for Teens (13+):

• Debit card
• Online and mobile banking
• Budgeting tools

What Leaders Are Saying:

“We’re thrilled to partner with NMSU in supporting the Lil’ Aggie Club, which aligns perfectly with our mission to serve and empower families in our community,” said Phillip Fifield, President & CEO of White Sands FCU. “By sponsoring this program, we’re helping to create exciting and educational experiences for local youth while strengthening the bond between young fans and our hometown university, New Mexico State Aggies.”
 
“We are thrilled to bring back the Lil’ Aggies Club in partnership with White Sands Federal Credit Union, one of our strongest local partners,” said Amber Burdge, Acting Athletic Director at NMSU. “Their commitment to the Las Cruces community aligns perfectly with our mission, and we look forward to supporting the next generation of Aggie fans through this exciting initiative.”
 
How to Join:

1. Visit a White Sands FCU branch with a parent or guardian.
2. Bring your child’s Social Security card.
3. Open a youth account with an initial deposit of $15.
4. Receive Lil’ Aggies membership and gear to start enjoying club benefits.

 
For more information and to join the Lil’ Aggies Youth Club, visit www.wsfcu.org/youth-programs or contact (575) 647-4500 or (800) 658-9933.
 
About New Mexico State Athletics
NM State Athletics competes in NCAA Division I and offers a wide range of men’s and women’s sports, fostering community engagement and fan development.
 
About White Sands Federal Credit Union
WSFCU is a not-for-profit credit union committed to financial education and services for the Las Cruces community.
 
About Van Wagner
Van Wagner is a sports marketing agency that creates and manages impactful partnerships between brands and sports organizations.
 

##NM State##

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College head men’s basketball coach Rich Glesmann has announced the hiring of Mamadou Diallo as the team’s full-time assistant coach. Diallo has coaching experience at the Division III level, most recently as an assistant coach at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

“I am really excited to welcome Mamadou Diallo into the Macalester men’s basketball family, said Glesmann, who was hired as the Scots head coach in June. “Mamadou has valuable experience at the Division III level that will be a massive asset for the future of Macalester men’s basketball. His passion for development, along with his basketball knowledge, will be a huge benefit for both the Macalester players and staff. This is an awesome day for the entire Macalester Athletic Department.”

Diallo spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Cornell College, where he worked closely with the post players. He also played an integral role in the Rams’ recruiting and scouting efforts. In his one season, Diallo helped to develop and coach two All-Midwest Conference players, as Cornell finished with a 15-10 record.

Prior to his time at Cornell, Diallo was a graduate assistant for the 2023-24 season at NAIA Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was involved in recruiting and scouting while also coaching the junior varsity team. Before that, Diallo served as an assistant coach at Division III Ripon (Wis.) College for four seasons. At Ripon he coached five All-Midwest Conference performers, including the conference’s player of the year, while also focusing on general operations of the program, including practice management, statistical analysis and recruiting.

“The opportunity to be a part of Coach Glesmann’s staff at an institution like Macalester College allows me to live out a dream of mine,” Diallo said. “I’m grateful and thrilled to be offered this opportunity by Director of Athletics Donnie Brooks and Coach Glesmann. I’ve had the privilege of developing as a coach under the guidance of some outstanding mentors and I believe that has prepared me for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to connecting and building meaningful relationships with our players, being a resource to them on a daily basis, and helping develop them academically, athletically, and socially. It’s also my intention to help create a standard of excellence that resonates with and unites past, present, and future Scots. Go Scots!”

A native of Los Angeles, Calif., Diallo spent two seasons playing basketball at NAIA schools York (Neb.) University and Simpson University in Redding, Calif., before finishing his degree in multidisciplinary studies at West Virginia University in 2019. He also earned an MBA at Mount Mercy in 2025.

Photo above by Yazan Obeidat via Unsplash.

When we launched the Kidsburgh Podcast, we began sharing ideas and inspiration from people with a personal connection to the Pittsburgh area. The first of these was a conversation with former Pittsburgh Pirate Travis Snider, now retired from baseball, whose career is focused on helping kids and parents create a healthier culture around youth sports in America.

Snider is cofounder of a company called 3A Athletics, which offers guidebooks and resources to help parents and kids manage the pressures that can arise in youth sports. The goal? To make the sports experience a positive thing in kids’ lives, helping them to reach their potential while building strong mental health.

When Snider spoke with Kidsburgh, we discussed his baseball career — the dream-come-true of getting drafted out of high school to play baseball professionally and the fun of playing for Pittsburgh’s dedicated fans. It was, he said, an incredible experience to play in the city of Pittsburgh on a team that broke the Pirates’ long streak of not making the playoffs. He still gets chills thinking about the 2013 Wild Card game.

For kids listening to the podcast who might dream of that kind of career success, he shared these thoughts: If you love a particular sport or another pursuit, make time to work on your skills. Each of us have our natural talents, but success comes from repeated effort: “If you want to be great at something,” he said, “it takes a lot of practice.”

This applies to school, sports or any other goal: “A regular conversation we have in our household with my children is understanding that if you’re not good at something, the first question I’m going to ask you is, how much have you practiced?”

For parents, one key to supporting these efforts is praising effort rather than just celebrating successes.

Even if a child loves a particular sport, it’s also important for kids and parents to realize that the child’s identity as an athlete is only one aspect of who they are. This is something that struck Snider as he was ending his baseball career, while also parenting his three young children.

“In our society and our culture, we heavily tie our identity on our accomplishments, or what we do for a living, or what we want to be when we grow up,” Snider said. That creates a lot of pressure.

“I was lucky enough to play professional baseball for 16 years. But at the end of that, I wasn’t going to continue to play baseball into my 40s and in my 50s,” he said. “At that point, I had to go through a process of unpacking my identity and how closely tied that was to baseball, being a baseball player, and what I had accomplished in baseball. Those are all things that I’m very proud of, but I also had to learn and understand how that identity can make things very confusing and very difficult at times, to believe that you are anything other than what you do.”

From having difficult conversations with kids to making space for their voices, Kidsburgh’s conversation with Travis touched on so many valuable ideas for parents.

Listen to the whole Kidsburgh podcast interview with Snider RIGHT HERE or find this and more Kidsburgh podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts, Pandora and Spotify. 

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Citadel men’s basketball program travled en masse to Costa Rica for one week late in the summer, working to build team chemistry while exploring the Central American country and competing against local teams on the court.
 

For a full schedule of events, check out the breakdown below: 

DAY ONE

July 25th | Charleston, S.C. to San Jose, Costa Rica — Crowne Plaza Corobici

• Flew into Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose (SJO)
• Welcome dinner at Tiquicia

DAY TWO

July 26 | San Jose, Costa Rica — Crowne Plaza Corobici

• Morning community service outreach youth basketball clinic at local school in San Jose
• San Jose city tour with stops at Central Market, National Church, National Theater and Artisan’s Market
• Competed in first game in the evening

DAY THREE

July 27 | San Jose, Costa Rica — Crowne Plaza Corobici

• Morning visit to La Paz Waterfall Gardens for hike to waterfalls and visit to animal sanctuary
• Competed in second game in the evening

DAY FOUR

July 28 | Guanacaste, Costa Rica — JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa

• Beach / Pool day one of Costa Rica’s top beachfront resorts

DAY FIVE

July 29 | Guanacaste, Costa Rica — JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa

• Toured the local city of Tamarindo

DAY SIX

July 30 | Guanacaste, Costa Rica — JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa

• Diamante Eco Adventure Park for zip-lining excursion, a tiered exploration featuring five different zip lines

DAY SEVEN

July 31 | Guanacaste, Costa Rica to Charleston, S.C.

• Returned home to Charleston, S.C.

— #TogetherWeAttack —