INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Twelve-year-old Saniyh Stafford sat with her teammates in the stands at the Gifford Youth Activity Center as her basketball coaches took on correctional and law enforcement officers in a friendly game on Saturday afternoon.
“It’ll be no competition,” Stafford said, confident in her head coach Antoine Jennings and his teammates who were outnumbered two to one by the officers.
The exhibition game was organized by Jennings the leaders of newly-launched Crossover Mission an organization that got up and running just a few short months ago.
Crossover Mission combines year-long basketball training with mentorship and tutoring programs to give kids ages eight to 15 the opportunity to improve on the court and in the classroom.
“Growing up, I did not have the right kind of guidance in my life,” Jennings said. “Basketball was the only thing that motivated me in school.”
Jennings recalls his childhood and teenage years spent in Gifford as a time in his life where he made some poor decisions and got tied up with the wrong kind of friends.
“I hit the point in my life where, if I didn’t change I wasn’t going to make it,” Jennings said.
Now, Jennings is using his love for the game of basketball and his exceptional skills that attracted college coaches nation wide about 15 years ago, to be a positive influence in the lives of kids who are facing the same challenges he did.
“He’s a great coach,” said 11-year-old Antoine Jennings Jr. who cheered is father on from the bleachers.
“He’s strict, but not really, he just likes to win,” said Louis DeSchouwer, a 10-year-old basketball player who said he looks forward to his weekly practices with Crossover Mission.
“He likes to see us play hard,” Stafford chimed in.
Chief Deputy Bud Spencer of the Sheriff’s Office praised his men for volunteering to participate in the game on their own time.
“This is really a good program,” Spencer said of Crossover Mission. “Sheriff Loar met with the leaders at Crossover and talked about what we could do to help. The Sheriff was willing to jump right in.”
Crossover Mission co-founder Cathy DeSchouwer said approximately 45 kids are participating in the basketball program. She said the support of the Sheriff’s Office will hopefully encourage others to join.
When the final buzzer rang, the Crossover Coaches had edged out the Sheriff’s Office in points, but neither team ever lost focus of the purpose of Saturday’s game.
“Although the Crossover team beat the Sheriff’s team, the tone was very friendly.” DeSchouwer said. “There was very good sportsmanship, it was all for the fun of it. The level of basketball, I thought, was very exciting.” She added, “When the players see their coaches playing, it’s even more inspiring.”
For more information on Crossover Mission, visit www.crossovermission.org.