20 • Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina
Focus On Philanthropy
January 1998
Stati. -.h
■ .a’
Midnight on the courts
A new basketball league is
scoring big — at least among
the 90 players. Night Flight,
the Triangle's first midnight
basketball league, just com
pleted its first season. The pro
gram for young men, aged 19
to 25, offers more than sports
and entertainment — the
league also seeks to change
attitudes and match players
with jobs and educational
opportunities. For example,
after requests from players,
the program held a mini
course in December on how to
take the Scholastic Aptitude
Tests. Jimmy Black, a Durham
investment broker and a star of
UNC-CH's 1982 championship
men's basketball team, volun
teers as the league's commis
sioner. The program was creat
ed by James Johnson Jr., a
UNC-CH business and geogra
phy professor. Johnson says the
program makes good econom
ic sense. "It costs $30,000 to
incarcerate one man," he says.
"It costs $70,000 to run this
program." More than 16 area
businesses have donated at
least $3,000 each. The
league's second season begins
this month. Call (919) 962-
8201.
The champi
onship game
Dec. 3 pitted
the 5onics, a
Durham team,
against the
Jazz, a group
from Raleigh.
The Sonics, coached by William Cherry, walked away with trophies after a very close game. The final
score: 83-81. About 90 young men participated in Night Flight during its first season.
Photos by Kristin Prelipp
At the finals in Durham, bleachers were filled with
avid fans, k
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