Slam-dunk partnership: Denver Parks and Recreation officially joins Junior Nuggets program

DENVER Cheers, whistles and the squeaks of sneakers can be heard during the winter months from inside the Hiawatha Davis Jr. Recreation Center, where Denver Parks and Recreation offers youth basketball.

Casey Light, program administrator for DPR youth sports, explained that teams are citywide, with players starting as young as 5 years old and going all the way up through high school.

"We offer four seasons of sports, so pretty much a year-round operation for us," Light said. "We're just wrapping up our basketball season right now, which is our primary winter sport. In the spring, we offer flag football, soccer and volleyball, and in the summer, we offer baseball, softball, t-ball, and track and field."

Part of what makes this youth program so special is the generational love passed down from parent to child. Light said that many families have lived in the same neighborhood for decades and have an immense sense of pride in their community when their child plays for the same rec center.

Besides building connections in the community, Light said these teams also help create new friendships and teach valuable life skills.

"One of our core values is that teamwork and community, that sportsmanship, that they learn by participating in youth sports," he said. "They learn to work through adversity, learn to make new friends, to work with adults that maybe are unfamiliar to them, and those growth opportunities, those life lessons that they learn through youth sports will hopefully carry forward for them for the rest of their lives."

Besides representing Denver Parks and Recreation on the court this year, players also get a taste of what it might be like to play for the big leagues. Each player received a reversible jersey featuring the Denver Nuggets logo and a DPR logo.

"This year, we're very fortunate to have partnered with Kronke Sports Entertainment and the Denver Nuggets as a Junior Nuggets partner," Light said. "Denver Parks and Rec has been offering these programs through our rec centers for many, many years, but this is the first season that our kids are donning Nuggets jerseys."

For many young players, wearing this jersey is a source of inspiration. 11-year-old Damien Grant said he has been playing basketball for a couple years and wearing the jersey makes him feel like he's "one of the Nuggets."

Isheia Williams coaches Team Takeover from Montbello and sees how the young boys love repping the Nuggets. Besides the confidence it brings out, she said basketball helps build character and camaraderie among these youth.

"It gives them inspiration and it gives them hope... but it also keeps them off the streets," Williams said. "I think that's the huge importance when you build a community of boys, hanging out together, you want to make sure they are doing something positive, and this is keeping them together doing something positive."

Besides having some sweet swag to wear on the courts, there are also opportunities for kids to participate in the Junior Nuggets camps and clinics where they can meet other young players throughout the metro area and beyond.

"They have camp and clinic opportunities at Ball Arena, and that's a chance for them to stretch their wings a little bit and reach outside of the folks that they see, in and out of the rec centers every single day, interact with other folks in the Junior Nuggets program from across the state," Light said.

Nola Ramming was a DPR player in attendance at one of the clinics. Not only was she excited about the new jersey this season, but she could also see her professional dreams come to life.

"I'm like 'oh my gosh,' I could be on the court like this someday," she said.

Joshua Araiza, program manager for Denver Nuggets youth basketball, explained that these clinics are an opportunity for young players, along with their family members, to come into Ball Arena to receive coaching and make new connections.

"To me, I mean, I remember as a kid trying to get into an arena, and it was super hard, but this is such great inclusion," Araiza said. "Also, I love the smiling faces, and just these eyes get so big when they do come in the arena and to see the logo and just break it down every single time."

Being a former DPR employee and a "rec center kid," Araiza is proud to see this partnership come to life.

"It's a seamless transition, and it just makes sense, having that Denver mantra and that jargon. It just wouldn't make any sense if we werent a part of those rec centers, and I think it just really fits really well with what we do and what we want to be a part of," Araiza said.

While the winter basketball season has come to an end, there is no doubt these jerseys brought extra meaning into these players' and their families' lives.

"We know that this season they will be especially cherished because they're not just Denver Parks and Recreation, but they're Junior Nuggets as well," Light said.