By ELEANOR TRAUBMAN | etraubman@gmail.com
Melissa Dimas, SFX Youth Sports – Brooklyn Girls Basketball Coach and Finalist in the Brooklyn Basketball Jr. NBA/WNBA Coach of the Year Program, started the first official all-girls basketball league in Central Brooklyn. She initially created the league for her daughters: Her younger daughter wanted to play basketball when she was in the 1st grade at a time when there were not many structured opportunities for girls to play. That same daughter joined a co-ed team where she was one of the team’s best players and yet the male players would not pass the ball to her. As Melissa shared, “There are plenty of co-ed programs, but some girls, as they get older, drop out of coed programs for various reasons.” The program is for girls ages 7-14.Dimas has been nominated for Brooklyn Basketball Coach of the Year via The Jr NBA/WNBA Coach of the Year program. This program “celebrates coaches that honor the game and create a lasting impact on young people both on and off the court.”
Shared a neighbor of Melissa’s: “Melissa started the SFX Girls Basketball League and in just a few short seasons, she has grown it to 400 girls! | have seen the way the girls grow and learn and gain confidence being in this safe sports space; we are so lucky for her leadership. She’s also a generous member of the community and is the first to lend a hand when anyone needs her.” Melissa conveys that having community organizing skills as a former Peace Corps volunteer came in handy when putting together the league. She was excited to add that there are even paid opportunities for teens to help out with jobs such as running the score boards.“The skills learned in team sports translate to other areas of life,” she added. “And being part of a team is a great way to build community and a sense of belonging in a neighborhood. It’s important that you belong to something outside of school, whether it’s basketball, soccer, or a musical production. It’s important to feel like you’re part of something that ultimately connects you to your neighbors.”
Eleanor Traubman is the Founder of My Local Heroes, which lives on both Facebook and Instagram. MLH is a celebration of activists, artists, athletes and entrepreneurs from Brooklyn and beyond who are working to make their communities better places to live. Launched during the pandemic, The project was featured in News12 and The Patch, and received a Covid-19 Heroes Award from the former Brooklyn Borough President. This article is part of a series of posts Eleanor is writing about community leaders and their take on local community involvement.
