By Mike Kinney
If a newly refurbished gym floor wasn’t enough, how about a free clinic with Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry?
On Monday, hundreds of local youth and their family members attended the unveiling of the just renovated basketball courts at the West Contra Costa Salesian Boys and Girls Club at 2801 Moran Ave. in Richmond.
As part of the Makin’ Hoops program, the Warriors, Chase and the Good Tidings Foundation partnered on the two-week-long renovation that included over 7,500 square feet of hardwood flooring with custom-made wall pads and game line for multiple sports. Also, there’s a new Warriors-themed wall mural over the bleachers that reads: Hear us Roar!’ The mural was done by the artist Hueman.
All of that was enough to drum up excitement. But the crowd attending the unveiling Monday really went wild after Curry was introduced, with many chanting “MVP.”
Other notable attendees included Richmond Councilmembers Nat Bates and Demulus Johnson and San Pablo Mayor Rich Kinney.
The new gym floor will be used by 200 kids each Saturday, official said.
Steve Alameda, the executive director of the West Contra Costa Salesian Boys and Girls Club, expressed gratitude to the Warriors, Chase and Good Tidings for thinking of Richmond.
“We’ve dreamt of having a really nice gymnasium here for our children, and today that dream is coming true,” Alameda said.
The Makin’ Hoops program has restored over 80 courts in 20 years in the Bay Area. This isn’t the program’s first stop in Richmond. In 2014, NBA legend Mitch Richmond helped unveil new basketball courts at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Richmond.
