EAST ORANGE, NJ — For the first time, East Orange-based non-profit Alumni United USA Inc. sponsored a boys and girls basketball camp at Cicely L. Tyson School during the week of July 15.
The camp was directed by Nike and US Sports Camps. Anthony Brown Jr., an EO firefighter and board chairperson of Alumni United USA, served as the camp director. Brown’s father, Anthony Brown Sr., is a retired captain in the EO Fire Department who played basketball at now-defunct Clifford Scott High School in East Orange.
The camp attracted approximately 73 participants ages 7-17.
“It introduced the kids a different way of learning the game and learning about life,” said James Pitchford, the founder and president of Alumni United USA Inc.
Brown Jr., who has been in the EO Fire Department for four years, said the camp provided life lessons.
“My goal was to provide another channel for the kids to express themselves and expose them to other routes of success,” he said. “It’s not just about basketball; it’s the things that you learn while playing basketball. The discipline that you actually pick up; the hardships that you have to overcome with training. All of that applies within every aspect of your life. Being a product of programs from East Orange, I wanted to give back to the community to keep this going forward.”
Pitchford is a 1977 East Orange High School graduate who played basketball at the school. He was a member of the Panthers teams that won four straight Essex County Tournament titles from 1974-77 under legendary head coach Bob Lester. Pitchford, who worked in real estate, resides in East Orange. He was part of the inaugural induction class of the East Orange Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
Pitchford said he hopes to bring other sports camps, such as football, tennis, baseball, softball, volleyball and Esports, to the community through Nike and US Sports Camps.
According to its website, Alumni United USA Inc., founded in 2023, is a non-profit company that “establishes collaborative partnerships and a platform to support educational, economic and community development Our mission is to deliver a model support structure for programming in urban communities that promote standards of excellence in education, the arts, athletics, housing, business and commercial opportunities.”
In addition, Alumni United Development Corp. seeks to develop “Legacy Village” (working title) on the site of Elmwood Elementary School and Vernon L. Davey Junior High School. The two schools have been closed.
The vision for Legacy Village includes venues for art, education and athletic programming. It will also include office spaces for non-profit and commercial entities.
Alumni United USA Inc. also partners with Boys & Girls Club of Newark, Greater Newark Tennis & Education, Pro Level Training, and Broadway in the H.O.O.D. Las Vegas Nevada national non-profit theater group. “Our main focus is to use all the tools that we have. There is a lot of talent within East Orange,” Brown Jr. said. “We want to bring that together to reinvest in our community.”
Photos Courtesy of James Pitchford
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