STY Team Wins Annual Basketball League

With sweat dripping down their faces, the players of the last two last remaining teams in the 2010 STY Summer Youth Basketball League fought for the trophy in Church Square Park on Wednesday afternoon. 

Ultimately the Save The Youth Academy team ("The Lakers," dressed in purple) beat the Hoboken Recreational League team. 

"It was very competitive," said Luis Acevedo, co-founder of the STY. It was the first year that the league accepted 12 to 14-year-olds, he said. 

The league is supposed to keep the youth from the street and provide something to do during long summer days. "It has been a place for socializing," said Acevedo. "It's exceptional and it enhances the quality of life for the kids."

About 80 percent of the kids in the league live in the Hoboken Housing Authority, Acevedo said. The remaining 20 percent lives in other parts of Hoboken. 

Michael Purvis, one of the referees during the game, said that overall the players behaved themselves well on the court. Sometimes, he said, "younger kids have outbursts." 

Jonathan Garcia, 14, was chosen to be the most valuable player of the tournament and was handed a separate trophy by Acevedo. When asked why he was chosen, Garcia laughed, "because I play good ball!"

Congratulations to the entire STY team: Mike Singleton, Jeffrey Garcia, JR Lynch, Trevor Thomas, Jonathan Garcia, Shiquan Martinez, William Aponte, Edwin Genao and Ronald McGee.