By Gage Vieno
Reporter Fellow
More than 150 teenagers from across Suffolk County gathered at UMass Boston last Tuesday (July 28) for Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s annual Basketball for Peace tournament, where competition on the court was paired with a message about leadership, education, and community. Held at the Clark Athletic Center, the event drew its largest turnout to date, according to organizers.
“Basketball for Peace is a chance to bring Boston’s young people together for a day of safe, healthy, team-oriented fun,” said Hayden, who recognize community leaders, mentors, and organizations that have helped support young people throughout Boston.
The event was supported by partners that included New Balance, Target, UMass Boston, and the Boston Celtics.
“One of the amazing things about this event is that we bring together people from all over the city,” Hayden said. “We hope you make a new friend and build relationships that will stay with you for a long time after this time is over.”
The district attorney gave recognition through honorary awards to Joe Janezic, chief of the Crime Strategies Bureau in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Steph Lewis, president and CEO of The B.A.S.E., Lisa Warshafsky, principal and program director at Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy’s Lower Mills campus, former NBA player Wayne Selden Jr.; and NBC Sports Boston broadcaster Kayla Burton.
The event also recognized Anthony Richards Sr., founder of No Books No Ball, with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The program has combined athletics and academics for more than 30 years, using basketball as a tool to promote education, accountability, and personal growth.
“When people hear the name Tony Richards Sr., they think of basketball,” Hayden said. “But anyone who has ever spent time at No Books No Ball knows that basketball has never really been the mission. It’s simply been the tool.”
Richards encouraged the young athletes in attendance to value mentorship and respect the people who support their growth.
“Half of this journey is respect and letting someone occupy a space that you may walk into one day,” he said. “You’ve got to put the brakes on sometime and listen because you’ll learn a lot more.”
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Alfreda Harris Exceptional Community Service Award to Chris and Katani Sumner for their decades of leadership and mentorship. Chris Sumner, who died earlier this month, was remembered for his longtime commitment to Boston’s youth.
“This is bittersweet for me,” said Harris, who knew Sumner from the time he was a child at the Shelburne Community Center. “There is nothing negative that I, or I don’t think anybody else, will say about Chris Sumner.”
Katani Sumner encouraged the young athletes to pursue success beyond sports. “You don’t have to just be an athlete,” she said. “You need to be a scholar athlete so you can go on and do great things.”
Hayden’s office will host its next youth outreach event, the annual Soccer for Peace tournament, on Aug. 12 at Pope John Paul II Park in Dorchester.
