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Teenagers and toddlers alike gather on New Haven Academy’s basketball court every Wednesday evening to bond over basketball in honor of the late Tyshaun Hargrove. 

Fourteen-year-old Tyshaun, known as “TyTy” to friends and family, spent his time playing basketball and studying the Bible before he passed away in an August 2021 shooting. Carrying his legacy, his mother Dayshawna Hargrove and Erica Kyne, director of the community nonprofit Youth Without Limits, organized “Ty’s Hoop Dreams” this March. According to organizers, the program provides a safe place for kids to spend time together during the week and to receive mentorship from young adults.

“Sometimes it overwhelms me, but then when I sit and I think about it, it’s like, ‘Wow, look what you’re doing for your son,’” Hargrove said. “To show that he’s loved and he’s never going to be forgotten.”

For the first chunk of Wednesday’s session, teenagers and children scattered around the court as balls swished through nets, joking around between plays. While older boys gathered on one side of the court over a casual game, other teens gave kids pointers as adults looked on. Further down, teenage girls briefly practiced and recorded TikTok dances, letting the court and players serve as a backdrop. The court’s setup projects a feeling of community — blue chairs line each side, providing places for parents and mentors to sit as they watch over their children and chat. Hargrove and Tyshaun’s stepmother laughed together on the side of the court as the children played. 

“This program is not just for basketball. The older people are here to actually mentor the kids,” Hargrove noted. “If the kids need help or have anything they want to talk about that they don’t want to talk about with their parents, that’s what the older ones are here for.”

Some adults brought their toddlers — mentor leader Joel Frazier brought his nearly 2-year-old son, while Tyshaun’s 4-year-old stepsister tagged along with her family. The two chased each other around the center of the court. Tyshaun himself had a 1-year-old son, who Hargrove plans to bring to sessions in the future. 

Later on, Frazier called for the kids and adults to split into two groups by gender. In each circle, participants went around recounting the highs and lows of their weeks — times where they “felt God’s presence” and other times where they missed it. In their circle, women and young girls swapped highs in their social lives and academics, while naming stresses at work or in school as lows. 

Frazier underscored the importance of Christian faith to the program, as Tyshaun previously met many of his friends who were present at the court through Bible study. 

“We’re gonna mentor these kids and go into their lives — that’s kind of the foundation,” Frazier said. “Just really having a relationship with the source of wisdom, and a relationship with the source of life so we can pour life into these young people.” 

After group conversations finished, Frazier read aloud Proverbs 9:10 — “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Soon after, the kids filtered back onto the court to continue playing and talking, having bonded through shared stories.

While some kids, like Tyshaun’s 8-year-old brother Derrick and 10-year-old sister Amari, have frequented the program since its start, others attended for the first time. Tyshaun’s father, Tony Felton, brought his four children and a large pack of water bottles today, revealing it was his first visit as sweating kids descended upon him. 

“I see this is for a good cause, and this’ll help keep the kids out of trouble so no parent will have to suffer going through what I just went through,” Felton said. “Things that transpire on the streets — if more kids have something to do during the week such as things like this, it would cut back less of the violence, as far as on the youth.”

New Haven’s gun violence disproportionately impacts Black youth like Tyshaun. According to the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, assault “primarily with a gun” is the leading cause of death among men aged 15-39 in the city — and from 2008-12, 75 percent of homicide victims were Black.

Hargrove discussed the importance of having spaces where youth can seek guidance without fear or reluctance, as many of Tyshaun’s friends would confide in her about their problems. Without trust, says Hargrove, safety is harder to protect.

“These parents don’t know how it feels to lose a child — yeah we know how it feels for our child to be missing for a couple hours and come back to us — but when they’re gone, they’re gone. So why not fight for them to be somewhere safe?” Hargrove said. 

Although kids play basketball and attend sessions in New Haven, they hail from cities all around the area. Hargrove and others have gotten the word out through flyers, friends and others who have participated in basketball programs at New Haven Academy. 

New Haven Academy is located at 444 Orange St.