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Welcome to YOUTH ADVANTAGE!
What Makes Us Different????
Games begin with a commitment to SPORTSMANSHIP at center court.
Wednesday, November 4 Winter Wellness Basketball League 2009-2010 Winter Wellness Basketball League 2009-2010 WHAT: a 16-week basketball league for young men ages 18-29 NO past or present college players Two to four former high school varsity players per team A "players" league for regular guys! WHERE: Expressway A/G 260 Eggert Rd. Buffalo, NY 14215 (at the Eggert Rd exit off Route 33) WHEN: Thursdays beginning November 12, 2009 GAME TIMES: If we have 10 teams: 6:30, 7:20, 8:10, 9:00 & 9:50 PM If we have 12 teams: 6:00, 6:50, 7:40, 8:30, 9:20 & 10:10 PM Game schedules will be posted on this website & Russ's Facebook page. COST: One-time $25 player registration fee (each player) paid before first game $32 game fee (paid by team each game) Game fee must be paid prior to each game Games begin with prayer at center court Good sportsmanship is required Referee abuse is NOT tolerated! Respect, fun & friendship is our purpose Sixteen games through the looong WNY winter! Questions? Call Russ Kingsbury @ (716) 602-7546 Wednesday, October 28 The Fourth Annual South Buffalo HEROES Basketball Tournament! SOUTH BUFFALO HEROES 2009 BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS Thursday October 29th 7:00 PM - Varsity "B" Championship Riverside defeats Depew 55-44 Lamont Little (Riverside) leads all scorers with 17 points. All-Tournament: Jermaine Ware (Riverside) Lamont Little (Riverside) Mark Anderson (Riverside) Ricky Coburn (Depew) Matt Kowalski (Depew) Dwayne Bray Memorial Christian Conduct Award: Jake Maryniewski (Depew) MVP - Ken Jones (Riverside) Congrats to Coach Bill Russell & Ron Killinger (Riverside) as well as Coach Larry Jones (Depew)!
Between games, the South Park High School ROTC presented our Flag and City of Buffalo South District Common Councilmember Michael "Mickey" Kearns led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance. Youth Advantage honored Stephen T. Banko - the Buffalo Field Ofc Director for HUD & NY State's most decorated Vietnam War veteran with a Heroes award. Steve then shared some inspirational words followed by a standing ovation from players, officials, parents & spectators. 8:00 PM - Varsity "A" Championship Nichols clobbers Canisius #1 63-36 Will Regan led all scorers with 18 points. All-Tournament: Andrew MacKinnon (Nichols) Connor VanDeGriff (Nichols) Stan Weir (Nichols) Ron Canestro (Nichols) Blair Helton (Canisius #1) Dwayne Bray Memorial Christian Conduct Award: Gordon Lyons (Canisius #1) MVP: Will Regan (Nichols) Congrats to Coach Jim MacKinnon (Nichols) & Coach Kyle Husband (Canisius #1) on a great season & tournament!
In each Division, first & second place individual trophies will be awarded. An all tournament team, MVP & Dwayne Bray Memorial Christian Conduct Award will be given in two divisions. Each & every year, the Youth Advantage fall basketball season ends with the South Buffalo HEROES Basketball Tournament. The South Buffalo HEROES Tournament decides our league champions and also honors local heroes, defines heroism and encourages our athletes to heroic actions. Four years ago, Buffalo South District Common Councilmember Michael P. "Mickey" Kearns began this tournament to honor local heroes. Since then, the HEROES Tournament has become a Youth Advantage tradition. In past years, the HEROES Tournament was held at Southside Elementary School & hosted by Principal Terry Schuta. This year, Mrs. Schuta has moved to South Park High School & invited us to join her in the newly-renovated South Park High School gymnasium. We are both excited & thankful for this opportunity! Thank you to School Engineeere Mike Homewood & his staff for their hospitality. Fourteen teams will participate this year, making it the largest field in our four year history. Preliminary games will begin on Thursday October 22nd @ Expressway A/G with Riverside (Ken Jones) vs St Francis (Brett Cawthorn) @ 7:00. At 8:00, Depew (Jake Maryniewski & Ricky Coburn) will play Canisius #2 (Aaron White & Matt MacDonald). The Tournament continues at South Park High School ... Monday October 26th 6:00 Middle College (Darale Young & Justin Stokes) vs Curry (South Park High guard Nick Harris & Maryvale's Bryce Shepherd) 7:00 Buffalo Panthers (Keron Briggs & DJ Nettles) vs Bennett (Deon Artis, Marcus Matthews & Donald Clemons) 8:00 Willie Hutch Jones Sports Clinics (Keon Paris & Aswad Jones) vs Williamsville North (Jonathan Safir & Sterling Taplin) 9:00 Canisius #1 (Blair Helton & Aaron Nevins) vs Lafayette (Darius West, Davone Ferguson & DeAndre Green) Tuesday October 27th at South Park High School 6:00 Nichols (Wil Regan, Stan Weir & Andrew MacKinnon) vs winner of Mid College/Curry 7:00 winner of Bflo Panthers/Bennett vs winner of Canisius #1/Lafayette 8:00 Hutch Tech (Maurice Miles, Mike Daniels & Nelson Clark) vs winner of Depew/Canisius #2 9:00 winner of Riverside/St Francis vs winner of Willie Hutch Jones Sports Clinics/Will North. Thursday October 29th at South Park High School 7:00 Varsity B Championship Game 8:00 Varsity A Championship Game For FULL schedule & brackets check the "Forms You Need" tab & click on league schedules and then HEROES Schedule & Bracket icon. Gym directions are on our website Gym entry is on Southside Parkway at the new glass entrance. Only street parking is available. No food or drink is allowed in the gym Come out to see great hoops action & support our athletes!
Wednesday, August 26 Youth Advantage Fall 2009 Basketball League! Youth Advantage Fall 2009 Basketball League Boys Varsity (ages 16-18) Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays starting Sept 14th Fourteen varsity teams Cost: $225 / team Questions??? Contact Russ Kingsbury @ (716) 602-7546
Monday, August 10 Youth Advantage Elite Training - Summer 2009 "The time WILL come... When winter will ask ... WHAT WERE YOU DOING ALL SUMMER!" Youth Advantage Elite Training can answer the big question ... What's the best way ... to improve my basketball skills? A comprehensive basketball training program Thirty-two 2-1/2 hour training sessions
Each training session has three parts: Explosive Power Strength & Conditioning with THURMAN THOMAS SPORTS TRAINING Basketball Power Basketball instruction with high school & college coaches Individual Power Repetitions to develop individual basketball skills
SAMPLE WORKOUT Warm-Up 15 minutes Strength & Conditioning 50 minutes Basketball Clinic 50 minutes Individual Skills 30 minutes Crosstraining Message 10 minutes ** UPDATE: sixty-eight athletes worked out with Elite Training in the summer of 2009. A schedule of practices, coaches & locations can be found under the "Forms You Need" tab. Contact Russ Kingsbury for details at (716) 602-7546
Tuesday, June 2 Youth Advantage Wellness Basketball League at Expressway A/G Youth Advantage Wellness Basketball TUESDAYS @ Expressway A/G Congratulations to our league champions, Coach John Cusack's Youth Advantage team. #1 seed Youth Advantage defeated #4 seed Walls Memorial 55-53 to win the Summer Wellness League Championship. Youth Advantage's John "AJ" Abernathy won MVP honors, while teammate Leown Darrell led all scorers with 22 points.
Young men ages 18-29 No college-level players one high school varsity player allowed on a team Nine games Games begin at 6:20, 7:10, 8:00, 8:50 and 9:30 PM $10 one-time player registration fee & $25 team/game fee (weekly) Teams: Amherst Christian Academy, Canisius-Boyz, Expressway, Hopevale, The Hybrid n' Company, Double-O-Seven, Our Lady of Victory, Vinh, Walls Memorial & Youth Advantage Questions? Call Russ Kingsbury @ (716) 602-7546
Saturday, March 21 Youth Advantage Big Spring Basketball 2009! YA Big Spring 2009 Update: The varsity (16-18) playoffs began with 24 teams on May 19th and as of May 28th we have four teams left: Final Four The Wesleyan Church of Hamburg vs Lafayette Monday June 1st @ 7:15 PM @ Expressway A/G Middle Early College vs Grand Island Tuesday June 2nd @ 6:15 PM @ Expressway A/G
The JV (13-15) playoffs started with 10 teams on May 19th and we have two teams left: CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES JV Championship Thursday June 4th @ 7:15 PM @ Christian Central Academy Varsity Championship Thursday June 4th @ 8:15 PM @ Christian Central Academy
March 21st 2009
Youth Advantage Big Spring 2009 Basketball Season is HERE! Varsity (16-18) Division will begin playing on MONDAYS - starting March 30th - at the Expressway A/G, First Trinity Lutheran, Christian Central Academy and Delavan-Grider Community Center gymnasiums. Junior Varsity (13-15) will begin playing on THURSDAYS - starting March 24th at the Expressway A/G and Christian Central Academy gymnasiums. TWENTY-FOUR varsity and TWELVE junior varsity teams are registered for league play! The cost is $200 before March 30th and $225 after March 30th. Gym Directions are on our website. Contact Russ Kingsbury for info @ (716) 602-7546
Tuesday, July 22 KidCity Hoops: Basketball Skill Instruction for Girls & Boys! Youth Advantage, the Salvation Army & Expressway A/G Church is conducting KidCity Hoops - a program of basketball skill instruction for girls & boys ages 7-13. Not a league ... but an ongoing skills clinic focusing on the basics skills necessary to develop a child's interest in basketball. Shooting, passing, dribbling & defense, along with physical conditioning in a fun, but challenging environment. The girls clinics are held: Tuesdays @ 5:30 - 7:30 PM at the Salvation Army gym Thursdays @ 5:30 - 7:30 PM at the Expressway A/G gym
The boys clinics are held: Tuesdays @ 5:30 - 7:30 PM at the Expressway A/G gym Thursdays @ 5:30 - 7:30 PM at the Salvation Army gym The cost is $2.00 per player per clinic. The clinics will continue until Thursday September 4th. Any questions? Contact Russ Kingsbury (716) 602-7546 or e-mail russkingsbury@wzrd.com
Salvation Army Basketball is War! How often does a #4 seed win a championship? Not too often ... but it happened in Downtown Buffalo in late August of 2007! Brothers 4 Life, a #4 seed, upset the #1 seed St John Baptist and continued to squeeze past #2 seed Ballers or Somethin' to win the Second Annual Salvation Army Summer League Championship. Mayor Byron Brown was present to award Brothers 4 Life's Jamall Garner (Lafayette) the MVP trophy and Ballers' Mike Mack (East) the Sportsmanship Award. A lively All-Star Game wrapped up another exciting Salvation Army Summer League. Thank you to McGard Innovative Security Products for making this league possible! Lackawanna Summer Sports Camp 2007 Youth Advantage is conducting a six-week summer sports camp at the Jeffrey Taggart Playground sponsored by the Lackawanna Municipal Housing Authority. A seven-person YA staff coaches basketball and football skills to youth from the Baker and Gates Homes in the heart of Lackawanna NY. Water games are included for relief in the summer heat. Leadership, character building & sportsmanship are taught on a daily basis. Camp is open to all with a simple registration form. The camp day begins at noon and ends at 3:30 PM. Thank you to LMHA Executive Director Tom Radich and Recreation Director John Mackeyenko for your support for these great kids.
Sunday, April 9 NFL FLAG 2007 Comes to Roosevelt Park!
Wednesday, May 23 Big Spring 2007 Championships ... Amazing! The three Youth Advantage Big Spring 2007 basketball championship games were played at First Trinity Lutheran on Monday May 21st and the games were exciting. In the JV (13-15) Championship game, St John Baptist Church outlasted the Lancaster JV in a dramatic battle. with Lancaster holding a three point lead,a St John's player was ejected by referee Kelly Funderburk in the first half, leaving St John's with only four players. St John's rallied behind Coach Chris Lewis and tied the game at halftime. St Johns star point guard Keon McCarley sprained his ankle with five minutes to play but refused to quit. Lancaster pressed full court against the wounded St John's team, but in the end forward Isaiah Jefferson (McKinley High) secured the win with key baskets down the stretch. Keyon McCarley was the Sportsmanship Award winner and Isaiah Jefferson was the MVP. In the Varsity B (16-18) game, Expressway defeated Willie Hutch Jones Sports Clinics in a thriller. The game was a close see-saw contest with neither team gining control. With 26 seconds left and the score 42-38 Expressway, Expressway center Maqwan Martin (Lafayette) missed a wide open dunk that would have iced the game. WHJSC came back, but Expressway's Jeff Curry (Lafayette) hit key free throws to preserve a one-point victory. Maqwan Martin won the Sportsmanship Award and Jeff Curry was MVP. In the Varsity A (16-18) game, Grover Cleveland squeaked out a one-point victory over a tough Century Playaz AAU squad. This was a match-up between Grover, a seasoned high school team versus Century Playaz, an AAU club of all stars from a number of WNY high schools. With the many lead changes came some spectacular play. Century Playaz's Kyle Denisco (Lake Shore) dribbled through Grover pressure applied by Grover's Ricky Alejandro, Grover forward Anthony Greene battled 6'8" Eric Spanbauer (Niagara Falls) and Amir Billups (Starpoint) was chased all over the court by Grover's Glen Lomax. Kyle Denisco was the Sportsmanship winner and Tyshawn Edwards (Grover) was the MVP. Thank you players, coaches, referees and staff for a great season! The Fall 2007 season will begin on Monday September 11th, see ya then. Saturday, March 31 Are You Ready 4 Spring Wellness Basketball? NON-VARSITY BASKETBALL! How sweet! A great chance to show my skills without some 6'5' ball hog trying to block my shot into another neighborhood. I love it! Not that I don't have game, of course I got skills but I need a showcase for the world to see my abilities. YEAH! Thursday night is my night to shine. Does this sound like you? If so, be a part of Youth Advantage Spring Wellness Basketball League. We have room for eight teams & four spots are already reserved. The cost is $20 per player plus $2.00 each weeek. Games will begin as soon as the Expressway gym floor is renovated. Call Russ @ (716) 602-7546 for details. Saturday, March 31 Kid-City Basketball! Kid-City Basketball, a 12 & under basketball league for boys and girls. Games will be played on Tuesday nights at the Expressway A/G gym in a "short full court" format. There are spots for six boys and six girls teams. A player can register with the league for $20 and then must pay $2.00 every time he/she plays. Man-to man defense, everyone participates and good conduct are the main rules. Games will begin as soon as the Expressway A/G church gym floor is renovated. Any questions, call Russ @ (716) 602-7546. Friday, February 9 The Big Spring Basketball League is Here! On Monday March 26th, Youth Advantage will begin its Big Spring Basketball Season. There will be two divisions: Varsity (16-18 yr old boys) & JV (13-15 yr old boys). There are 28 teams registered and teams are already preparing for this competitive season! New Gyms, New Teams! We are excited about playing games at the beautifel St John Baptist Church at 184 Goodell in the heart of downtown Buffalo. Thank you Pastor Michael Chapman and Athletic Director Natasha Cummings-Price for making this possible. New teams include: Christian Central Academy, West Seneca West JV & Varsity, the Niagara Frontier Christian Athletic Association, Holy Cross RC Church and Williamsville South JV & Varsity. A mandatory coaches meeting will be held at the Expressway A/G church - 260 Eggert Road Buffalo, NY (at the Eggert Rd exit off rte 33) on Monday March 12th. The cost will be $200 per team for a seven game regular season plus three-division playoffs. Call Russ ASAP @ (716) 602-7546 for details. Let the games begin! Monday, January 8 Winter Wellness Basketball Takes the Chill Out of a Cold Buffalo Winter! Eight teams take a bite out of winter by hoopin' in the Winter Wellness Basketball League. Every monday night, about 70 non-varsity athletes compete in this Youth Advantage winter session. The teams include Expressway, Hopevale, Hutch Tech, Langfield, The Levites, McKinley, Team Ritz and Wells Memorial. The action is intense and players are awesome. Keep checkin' the Youth Advantage website for schedule, standings and pictures. Sunday, January 14 Ultimate / Cross Training Football is HOT! More winter session excitement! Youth Advantage is playing Ultimate / Cross Training Football again! Every Sunday afternoon (after church), two YA teams travel to Sweet Home High School for one of the most exciting events ever ... Ultimate / Cross Training Football. A free flowing, physical and action packed games that Youth Advantage loves to play. It is unfair to describe the game here, to understand it ... you have to see it and play it. A six week season begins on Sunday afternoons with a 2:15 start on the Impact Division (13-15 yr old) games. At 4:00 PM, the Top Gun Division (16-18 yr old) plays some of the best athletes in WNY. Thank you Coach Mike Masters for this great opportunity. Check www.crosstrainingfootball.com for all info and pics. Saturday, January 6 Youth Advantage Joins the Western New York Christian Basketball League! More winter session excitement! Youth Advantage has placed two teams in the Western New York Christian Basketball League (formerly the South Buffalo Christian Basketball League). For ten weeks, the Expressway A/G church van will carry two teams (one junior, one senior) to the Hub at the Wesleyan Church of Hamburg to compete in a fifteen team league. The hub is probably the best youth facility in Western New York and Commissioner Mark Jentsch makes each game an event. Thank you Commissioner Mark for making it possible for us to participate! Stay tuned for schedule, standings and pics. Our Mission Our mission is to reach out to teens and address the problems they face. We believe that providing opportunities for recreation, mentoring & community supervision offer a positive answer for their needs and problems. Are YOU a Team Player? Everyone loves to be a winner, but even the most selfish player knows that he needs help from his teammates to win games. Are you helping your team win ... are you hurting your teams winning efforts? Ask yourself the following questions: #1. Do I rush to the scorebook during and/or after a game to see how many points I had? (even if we lost!) #2. Do I blame my teammates for making mistakes in games? #3. Do I try to draw as much attention to myself when I play? (for example, excessive celebration after I score or talking to the crowd) #4. Do I believe that I know more than my coach? #5. Do I blame the referees for my mistakes? (No referee has ever missed a lay-up; taken a stupid shot or committed a dumb foul!) #6. Do I shoot or dribble the ball, when I should pass it to a teammate? #7. Do I quit or get angry when things don't go my way? #8. Do I need to win to feel good about myself? Let's be WINNERS ... Be`smart ... Don't quit ... pass the ball ... encourage your teamates ... show respect for your coaches & officials ... act like you've scored a bucket before ... Do your best ... feel good about yourself because you're giving 100% ... think about the feelings of others. Questions??? Call Executive Director Russ Kingsbury @ (716) 602-7546 (cell) or e-mail russkingsbury@wzrd.com. OR try something NEW & leave a message on our website's Suggestion Box. What are YOU going to do after high school? Monday, October 30 The Buffalo Panthers are the Fall 2006 Youth Advantage Champs! On Monday October 30th, The Buffalo Panthers led by Glenroy Carr and Terrell Rankin outscored Lafayette to win the Youth Advantage Fall 2006 Championship. Glenroy Carr - MVP Terrell Rankin - Sportsmanship All Tournament Team John Whitlock - Lafayette Victor Arroyo - Lafayette Steve "Boo" Roberts - Buffalo Panthers Eric Schnirel - Buffalo Panthers Congratulations to Coach Paul Schintsius and Coach Al Parker on a great season! Sunday, October 29 Lafayette Wins the First-Ever South Buffalo Heroes Tournament Crown! John Whitlock's block of a Kevin Roth three-point attempt with 10 seconds left preserves a 57-55 win for Lafayette over St Francis in the First Annual South Buffalo Heroes basketball Tournament at Southside Elementary School. Tuesday, October 31 South Buffalo Church League Tip-Off Clinic - Rescheduled! Youth Advantage is teaming with the South Buffalo Christian Basketball League to conduct a Tip-Off Clinic. On Saturday Novemer 11th @ 9:30 AM, registration begins for a full day of coaching, fun and inspiration. The day begins with a skills & drills clinic run by some of the top high school coaches in WNY. After that, the league and Hamburg Wesleyan Church are showing a video featuring Bay Forest, a former NBA player with the Phoenix Suns. After the Bay Forest video, a mini-tournament will be held ending at 5:00 PM. The event is free, but pre-registration is required. Call Russ Kingsbury @ (716) 602-7546 for details. Monday, September 11 Youth Advantage Fall 2006 Basketball Season Begins! It's that time of year again. NO - NOT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SEASON! It's the Youth Advantage Fall 2006 Basketball League. Sixteen varsity begin the journey to Championship Monday at the First Trinity Lutheran Gym. Old favorites like St Joes, Riverside, Grover and Tech join new teams Ken-West, Niagara Catholic, St Francis and Orchard Park to challenge defending Champion Lafayette for the Fall League title. The games are on Monday nights at the Expressway A/G and First Trinity gyms. Special thanks to Players Sports Lacrosse Superstore, Buffalo Common Council members Bonnie Russell and Michael Kearns, Jim's SteakOut restaurants, The Buffalo Bills Youth Foundation, McGard Innovative Security Products, Houghton College, Kingdom Bound Ministries, The Tabernacle in Orchard Park and Attorney William Moran for supporting our league. Come on out, support the players and be part of some great basketball action!
Friday, June 16 The Salvation Army Summer Basketball League Youth Advantage will be conducting an eight-team basketball league for boys ages 13-16 at the Salvation Army Community Center beginnig July 8th, 2006. Games will be played at 10, 11, noon & 1 PM every Saturday. Players will need a signed permission slip, proof of age and a $10 player fee. Call Russ @ (716) 602-7546 for details. Thank you, McGard Innovative Security Products for being our league sponsor.
Tuesday, August 15 Lackawanna is Hot! Youth Advantage and the Lackawanna Municipal Housing Authority ran a sports camp at the Jeffrey Taggart Playground in the sizzling summer of 2006. Basketball, NFL flag football and growth were the themes. Twelve sessions that attracted over 115 campers filled the park with excitement. Special thanks to LMHA Director Tom Radich, Rec Director John Mack and Tracy McGee who provided the means for these great summer days. Check for pics on the photos page. Friday, June 16 Kid's Summer Sports Camp at The Father Belle! Youth Advantage will be conducting a summer sports camp for boys & girls ages 6-12 at the Father Belle Community Center beginning Monday July 10th 2006. The excitement begins at 10:00 every morning. Basketball, flag football & lacrosse will be featured over five-weeks of fun! Saturday, April 8 Spring Wellness Basketball Begins! Spring Wellness (non-varsity) basketball has begun on Thursday nights at the Expressway A/G gym. So far, six teams: Cleve-Hill; Expressway; Greater Emmanuel Temple; Langfield; Tech and Potomac Methodist are tearing up the courts. The league could be expanded to eight teams. Call Russ @ (716) 602-7546 for details! Monday, March 20 Youth Advantage Big Spring Basketball 2006 is HERE! Starting Monday March 20th, the MADNESS begins again! More teams, more gyms and more great basketball! Get your team together and be part of the fun. A coaches meeting will be held at the Expressway A/G church at 7:00 PM on Monday March 13th. Three age divisions - High School Girls (ages 13-18), Boys JV (ages 13-15), Boys Varsity (ages 16-18). Games are at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM on Monday evenings. Cost is $175.00 per team. Boys games are played at Expressway A/G, First Trinity Lutheran, Nazareth Lutheran & The Pratt-Willert Community Center. Check Gyms & Directions to get there! Questions??? Call Russ Kingsbury (716) 602-7546 for info or e-mail him at russkingsbury@wzrd.com Monday, August 8 Youth Advantage Fall 2005 High School Basketball Season Rocks! The Youth Advantage Fall High School Basketball Season Rocks! Twenty-four teams, three gyms, some 240 players in three divisions rockin' every Monday & Tuesday nights. Watch this website for standings, stats & pics! Call Russ @ (716) 602-7546 or e-mail @ russkingsbury@wzrd.com to play, register a team or donate to the cause! Youth Advantage Attends Kingdom Bound & Buffalo Bills Training Camp Two of the Youth Advantage sponsors, Kingdom Bound Ministries and the Buffalo Bills, have invited our workers and teens to great events! Seventy-seven Youth Advantage adults and teens will attend Kingdom Bound at Six Flags Darien Lake. Kingdom Bound on Tuesday August 2nd 2005 in a five day Christian music & speaker festival held each year at Six Flags Darien Lake. This is the second year that Youth Advantage has been invited by the Sis. Donna Russo, Bro. John Mika and wonderful people at Kingdom Bound. On Wednesday August 3rd 2005, the Bufalo Bills have invited fifty Youth Advantage workers and teens to attend training camp in suburban Rochester as their guests. Access to some (unnamed) players, a gift bag, lunch and NFL excitement is guaranteed on that day! Thank you to Gretchen Geiter, Michelle Roberts, Chris Lewis and Ashley Reves for your support! Why Support Youth Advantage? Four Reasons! #1. The Location: The area we serve is centrally located in Western New York with great suburban access, thanks to route 33. #2. The Method: VALUE-ADDED recreation. Teens want to play basketball & football. That's great ... but that's not enough. Cross-Training, college guidance & vocational help, as well as wellness projects add value to our games. #3. The Need: The area we serve lacks access to gymnasiums & leagues. Team practice time to develop skills is almost non-existent. #4. The Kids: The East Buffalo, Kenfield-Langfield, Kensington-Bailey & East Delavan Planning District house 26% of Buffalo's population. IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, 51% ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18! Serving this HUGE concentration of great kids is why Youth Advantage exists. Saturday, July 9 Youth Advantage Athletes Attend Houghton College Basketball Camps! Twenty boys and six girls from Youth Advantage traveled some 65 miles south to beautiful Houghton, NY to attend the school's basketball camps. The camps offered an incredible schedule of games, competitions, individual instruction and clinics designed to improve an individual's conditioning & skills. Players played in three games each day, two hours of stations, one hour of game observation, one hour of team practice, one hour of competitions (free throw shooting, 1 on 1, hot shot etc) and one hour of clinical instruction. Daily devotions & thoughts for the day were also an important part of the camp activities. Athletic Director & Women's Coach Harold "Skip" Lord and Men's Varsity Coach Brad Zarges supervised a staff of over 50 coaches and two camps with over 540 campers. Coach Russ Kingsbury and Coach Joe Scott from Youth Advantage attended and were involved in officiating, coaching and supervision. Campers included: Keon King, Darreus Davis, Dejon Scott, Steven Means Jr., Erick Cox, Julius Rudolph, Nick Torrance, Justin Johnson, Brandon Clark, Jake Fladd, Jason Bonasera, Max Denisco, Kyle Denisco, Josh Robinson, Louis Megna, Dwight Barlow, Chris Hillman, Cody Collins, Julius Bryant and Zachary Kane. Thank you to Houghton College for providing a way for our athletes to improve their games, see this beautiful college and make some good friends. Tuesday, July 5 Youth Advantage Women's Summer League Begins! Youth Advantage is conducting a women's summer basketball league at the D'Youville College gym. Some of the premier women ball players in WNY are playing in this 10 team league. Games are played on tuesdays and thursdays throughout the summer months. Check this website for schedules, standings & details. Monday, May 23 Lil' Saks Wins Title In Thriller! Mike Williams & Riverside ThreePeats! Championship Monday proved exciting as Lil' Saks wins the 13-15 championship on a last second shot, and Riverside narrowly escapes OT in winning its third consecutive 16-18 Youth Advantage title. Lil' Saks, in its first Youth Advantage season defeats Coach John Cusack's Greater Emmanuel Temple squad 45-44. With Lil' Saks down by one with less than three seconds left, Co-MVP Steve Means from Lil' Saks hit a jump hook from the baseline dashing Greater Emmanuel Temple's hopes for a first title. Co-MVP David McCarley(GET)'s deperation shot at the buzzer fell short and the celebration began. Congratulations to Coach Alfred Washington & GM Amarita McClam on a great season! In a very tight contest, Riverside outscores Showdown 55-53 for their third consecutive Youth Advantage Championship. In a seesaw game that saw both teams hold slight leads, it seemed as if the game was a personal duel between Showdown's Rashawn Pennick (McKinley) and Riverside's Michael Williams. Rashawn finished with 18 hard fought points as he hit the floor many times scrambling for loose balls, making steals or simply absorbing contact after scoring. His leadership inspired everyone as he won the sportsmanship award. MVP Mike Williams, as he has done all season, put the Riverside team on his shoulders and scored 21 points (3 - 3pointers). Probably the strongest high school athlete in WNY, Mike played center on defense and brought the ball upcourt on offense (who's gonna take it from him?). Josh Harris (South Park) and Darnell "Nubs" Mobley each scored 11 for Showdown. Josh Covington added 8 for Riverside. This game included a bizarre finish when with 2.8 seconds left Showdown's Julius Bryant hit a baseline jumper that apparently tied the game at 55. Referee Darryl "Juice" Carter was on the play & quickly blew his whistle denying the basket. It turned out that just prior to the basket a Showdown player had called loudly for a timeout! The timeout was given, the game-tying basket taken away and a last second Rashwan Pennick attempt fell harmlessly away. Even though Coach Bill Russell's Riverside teams threepeat is incredible ... it has happened before. McKinley won three in a row with Therreon Blackwell, Purnell Lindsey, Keith Parker, DiMario Williams, Gerald Hunley, Anthony Coronado & Ricky Lawson and others. NFL Flag Football Makes A Big Splash At Roosevelt Park! It was cold & rainy, but that couldn't stop the Youth Advantage devoted football fans from taking the field on Saturday morning. The first-ever NFL Flag @ Roosevelt Park football league began on Saturday April 30th amid 40 degree temperatures and driving rain. About 40 players and 10 adults braved the football-like conditions to experience a tremendous event. A registration tent provided some shelter as players signed up, got their mouthguards & flags and hiked, rushed, passed & caught wet footballs for NFL Flag Football glory. There will be open registration every saturday, so come out to Roosevelt Park. You need a signed player registration form, a mouthguard and a good attitude. Watch for more details each week! Accessing All Pages If you are having problems accessing some pages, you must register as an ETEAMZ member ( it's free ) & send me your email address. Your email address will give you member status on this site. Email your email address to me at russkingsbury@wzrd.com Questions? call Russ Kingsbury (716) 852-4681 home (716) 602-7546 cell or e-mail russkingsbury@wzrd.com
Tuesday, March 8 NFL Flag Football Comes to Youth Advantage! The Buffalo Bills & The NFL are teaming with Youth Advantage to bring NFL Flag - 5 on 5 non-contact Flag Football to the City of Buffalo. NFL Flag will begin with a Registration & Demonstration Day on Saturday April 23rd at the Expressway A/G church 260 Eggert Road Buffalo, NY 14201. Player registration and a game demonstration will take place at noon. Registration will be open throughout the season to allow new players to join! The NFL Flag League will begin on Saturday April 30th or Saturday May 7th depending on field conditions ( it really rains in the spring! ). Youth Advantage & NFL Flag will play at Roosevelt Park. The age brackets will be 6-8 co-ed, 9-11 co-ed, 12-14 boys, 12-14 girls & 15-18 boys. The cost will be $5.00. Many free or partial scholarships are available for players. Everyone who wants to play will play! PLAYER REGISTRATION FORMS & TEAM ROSTERS are available on this website at the " Forms You Need " button. Players must have mouthguards, and mouthguards will be available for $1.00. Check out www.nflyouthfootball.com for rule info & click on the NFL Flag logo. Two 9-11 boys, two girls 12-14, & three boys 12-14 have registered already! Register a player or team, see the game demonstration on our Registration & Demonstration Day on April 23rd @ noon! |
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