PORTSMOUTH, VA (WTKR)- Steven Whitley grew up in Norfolk, played basketball for Booker T. Washington and Norfolk State and later coached for the Spartans. He's well in-tune with the hoops talent that comes out of Hampton Roads.
For the second straight year, he's showcasing what the area has to offer. Whitley is hosting the second annual Home Is Where the Heart Is basketball event this Saturday at Churchland High School. The showcase will feature a rising stars high school all-star game, followed by the Summer Jam Classic, which will feature professional players from the area.
"We've got a lot of talent here, all the way from the youth level to the professional level," Whitley pointed out. "Being that we don't have [any] pro teams here and we're not a mecca to where a lot of people travel to in the summer time to come see some of these pros or they have some of these high level high school events, I'm like 'what can I do to be able to make that change?'"
The first event last August was a success, seeing some of the biggest names from the area return. Joe Bryant Jr., David McCormack, Briante Weber and Matt Coleman were among those hitting the court and who are scheduled to do so again this time around. This year's match-up features two former MEAC Players of the Year in Bryant and Jamarii Thomas.
"I grew up playing with them, against them, some of their big brothers, some of their little brothers," Whitley recalled. "I was connected with all these guys."
The founder of the event didn't have much trouble getting the players on board. His playing and coaching background provided familiarity for the professionals which made things easier to get the ball rolling on the Home Is Where The Heart Is event. It's an afternoon of basketball that Whitley hopes will leave spectators impressed and younger players inspired.
"I was a player who grew up in this area wishing that I had access to be able to see, touch a professional basketball player," he noted. "I initially started this with pros so our youngins and our youth would be able to see they walked the same hallways y'all walk, they dribbled the same ball down the street y'all dribble down, they went to the same courts and they made it from the Hampton Roads area."
The weekend will begin Friday with a youth basketball camp from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Atlantic Shores Christian School. That camp is already filled to capacity. Saturday's festivities at Churchland begin with the high school all-star game at 2 p.m., followed by the Summer Jam Classic at 4:15 p.m.
