Suns Nite Hoops: Preventing Crime in Phoenix Through Basketball

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Suns Nite Hoops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to assisting young adults who are in need of educational advancement, vocational development, and life skills enhancement. The charity runs a basketball program that is designed to reduce crime, teach essential life skills, and guide young men to become responsible citizens by giving them a positive alternative to gangs, drugs, and violence.

Suns Nite Hoops was started in 1994 after a group of community leaders in the Phoenix area decided to do something about the metropolitan's rising crime, unemployment, and broken families. Determined to further crime prevention and community welfare, the group began researching the feasibility of developing a new program that would help young men reach their education and employment potential. By the following year, the Phoenix Suns had formed a community-based board for Suns Nite Hoops, while Phoenix Suns Charities had pledged $200,000 of operational seed money to the program. Suns Nite Hoops officially got off the ground in 1996 following much planning and preparation.

In the Suns Nite Hoops program, participants play in an organized basketball league for one year. Each year consists of three seasons and playoffs that conclude in a championship game. The program is held twice a week from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm, the “prime time for crime.” All participants are required to attend on-site pre-game workshops that are hosted by the National Curriculum and Training Institute. Conducted in a fun and interactive format, the workshops teach various personal and social development skills, parenting skills, job skills, and life skills. Participants learn conflict resolution, anger management, teamwork, resume writing, interviewing, and maintaining employment, among others.

Participants who do not follow the program's strict rules lose eligibility and are suspended. By keeping the basketball league highly competitive, participants are motivated to stay out of trouble and complete the season and are less likely to return to crime afterward.