Books and Buckets is more than just a youth sports program, it is also an academic program in the Long Beach Washington neighborhood area.
The program teaches middle to high school students about reading books and the fundamentals of basketball for fun and athleticism in relation.
The youth are assigned to read two books during the academy session, which will lead to discussions and lectures before practice on Saturdays.
According to the program, the books on this year’s schedule are, “Shoot Your Shot:A Sport Inspired Guide to Living Your Best Life,” a book by a former basketball player Vernon Brundage Jr., and “Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us,” by Justin Michael Williams.
Books and Buckets will provide free registration to at least 25 participants between the ages of 11 and 18, along with guided reading-comprehension and mentorship.
The start of the academy will begin on June 5 and will end on July 31, the academy program will operate on Saturday’s from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. It will last for eight weeks with an orientation planned and scheduled for this Saturday, May 29.
The 23 year old Executive Director and Founder of the program David McGill grew up in Long Beach’s Washington neighborhood, where gang violence, crime, and gang culture was inescapable, according to McGill.
McGill mentioned that when he was a kid he started to get sucked into trouble. He attended Cabrillo High School and was the varsity basketball captain there.
During his sophomore year of high school, many of the one hour bus rides to the Lakewood basketball program set him on a different path leading him toward something successful.
The path led him toward the right direction and a life changing moment of bettering his life. McGill talked about great mentorship from a kindhearted coach which led him to start getting straight A’s, also basketball has always been his safe haven, passion and outlet.
“I always think about the Washington neighborhood especially since I still live in the area. I think about what if I didn’t have to take those long bus rides, so this is the reason I wanted to start this program with some great friends for the upcoming youth in the neighborhood,” said McGill.
For that main reason, he along with a group of former athletes’ game plan is to use the basketball courts in the Washington neighborhood of Long Beach this summer. The program plans to use the basketball courts on 14th street between Locust and Pine avenue to make an impact on the youths lives in that area.
If McGills’ coach had not been there for him as a kid, he believes that he might not have succeeded by pursuing a bachelor’s degree or came up with the idea of Books and Buckets for his local Long Beach community.
Gabriel Sandoval, the athletic director of Books and Buckets who played basketball with McGill at Cabrillo High School, will serve as the head coach and teach the basic fundamentals of basketball as well as accommodate drills if they tend to be more advanced.
Sandoval said, “I’m most excited about getting that connection with the community again because last year everyone was stuck at home with everything online like being on zoom calls, so I want to interact with the youth help them toward their goals in life and be around people again as well as teach the fundamentals of basketball because that is my passion. I love basketball and I want to pass on what I know to others, especially the upcoming youth.”