Southern Tier Upwards Sports 2025 Basketball League held an end of the year celebration program at a Jackals game.

“Every year we like to celebrate the end of the season by bringing in a special guest entertainer, local businesses donate toward bike giveaways, and we honor kids who display exceptional sportsmanship and ‘Christ-like’ actions and behaviors,” said Pastor Scott Smith, Upwards program director.

Smith said the program focuses on children in first through fourth grades, and focuses on fundamentals of basketball skills, character development, good sportsmanship, and living the character of Christ and teamwork.

“We have prayer and devotion time at our practices,” said Smith. “We really strive to have a high-quality, Christian program that develops the athletes not only physically, but mental and spiritually as well.”

Upwards Youth Basketball program participants, their family members and supporters attended a special game of the Jamestown Jackals to honor the end of the church-based youth sports program, Saturday at the Jamestown Community College Fitness Complex.

This year’s special guest speaker at the event was Ilze Luneau, a basketball entertainer and motivational speaker.

Luneau, an immigrant from Latvia, moved to the United States and was an All-American standout basketball player at the defunct College of Saint Rose in New York state from 1993-97.

According to Luneau’s website, basketballfamily.com, she has performed at many half-time shows at college, NBA and WNBA games, Final Four, NBA All-Star, many school assemblies and many Christian outreach events (especially Upward Basketball leagues). Ilze has also appeared on ESPN, Ellene DeGeneres and Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

“Luneau was awesome,” said Cameron Cathcart, a 12-year-old spectator and fan of the Jackals. “I’m going to go home and see if I can do some of the same tricks she does.”

However, for the Jackals, playing a game for the youthful ballers had even more of a special meaning for some of the team members who have strong ties to the Upwards organization.

A Jamestown Jackals basketball player works his way through a welcome tunnel at a Jackals home game, played Saturday, at the Jamestown Community Colleges, Fitness Complex, 525 Falconer St. prior to a game which honored the players coaches and volunteers with the Christian-based, Upwards Youth Basketball League of the Southern Tier.

According to Jackals team owner, Kayla Crosby, several of her players functioned as referees and basketball mentors for the Upwards athletes.

“Emmett Allen, Tafari Beckford Jr., Zakeem Davis, Evan Hinson, Brent Price, Deon Stroud, Evan Hinson, Braden Bell, Davin Miller and I, maybe forgetting someone, all helped referee games and helped with the league,” said Crosby.

The Upwards Basketball program is a collaborative effort between two local churches. Busti Church of God, located at 996 Forest Ave. and Lakewood Baptist Church, 150 Erie St., Lakewood.

Upward Sports, the umbrella organization which owns and runs Upwards Basketball, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of promoting the discovery of Jesus through sports. Upward Sports partners with churches in the US and Canada to bring youth sports ministry in their local communities. Founded in 1995, by Caz McCaslin, Upwards has continued to grow as an organization. Currently, there are more than 2,800 Upward Sports programs across the United States, serving hundreds of thousands of young athletes playing recreational basketball, soccer, cheerleading, flag football, and volleyball – upward.org.

Jamestown Jackals, No. 25, the 6-foot, 9-inch player, Daniel Mulamba, who is a native of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and who previously played as No. 9, guard with the Jackals, has come out of retirement and signs autographs after a Jackals home game, Saturday, which honored players, coaches and volunteers with the Upwards Youth Basketball League of the Southern Tier. Submitted photo