The wonderful World
of summer hoops

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

He scored nearly 18,000 points during his NBA career. And though he has been away from the game as a player for almost two decades, World B. Free continues to score big points in communities throughout the tri-state area.
Most fans may recall Free for his solid skills on the basketball court. You might remember the 6-foot-2 guard from his four years with the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s. Or maybe you’re a big fan who knows about his 17,955 points in 886 career games.
For the past 11 years, Free has taken his best shot at a challenging but fulfilling role — as an educator and mentor to children.
Free, who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., came out of college and signed with the 76ers in 1975. Though his 13-year career took him to other teams, he’d settled in Philly and was instantly "adopted as a Philadelphian," Free said, and he has stuck with the City of Brotherly Love ever since.
In the mid-1990s, the 76ers created their Summer Hoops Tour — a series of free clinics to teach children basketball skills and people skills — and Free embraced the opportunity to take part.
"I felt it was a great thing and we had to get it out there," said Free, the team’s director of player development. "We had the right pieces to the puzzle."
The ex-NBA star started traveling to schools, recreation centers and playgrounds to fulfill the program’s mission of teaching the fundamentals of basketball and life.
"When we first started, we basically started with four clinics," Free recalled. "And each of those four clinics had about four kids. So we had to add a little more excitement and build it. And now we have like ten-thousand kids in a summer coming to our clinics."
The 76ers mascot, Hip-Hop, joined Free during a July 31 Summer Hoops stop at the JCC Klein Branch in the Far Northeast. For kids in the neighborhood, it was like a dream.
"I’m so excited to meet the players! I love the 76ers," said 11-year-old Sean Somers. "I watch them all the time."
Free and Hip-Hop were joined by 15 volunteer coaches, many of whom are current or former college athletes. They showed the youngsters the correct way to stretch during warm-ups, as well as the basics of shooting, dribbling, passing and guarding an opponent.
Then the real fun began.
"We split the kids up according to ages," said Free. "We have different programs for different ages. We have little basketballs for the little kids and the big basketballs for the big kids. Nobody is turned away in the Summer Hoops Tour."
The gym suddenly was filled with basketball prodigies who were happy to demonstrate their newfound skills on the court.
"It’s a lot of fun here," said Kory Cutler-Gripman, 11. "I love playing basketball!"
After the kids practiced their new moves, Free asked for their attention. This was his opportunity to spread his true message.
"We speak about life. We speak about drugs, violence, education and sex," said Free. "We put the basketball aside and we open their brains up. You have to get the kids when their minds are open. I let them know basketball is good, but this is what’s going on in the world right now."
And the kids soaked it up.
According to Free, the children generally have an intelligent reaction to the open discussion.
"Sometimes I’ll run into kids who came to the clinics when they were eleven," said Free. "I’ll see these same kids, who are now twenty-two years old, and they’ll come up to me and say, "Thank you for coming out and giving us words of encouragement."
This summer, there are 43 sites on the tour, including Philadelphia, Allentown, Bucks County and Ocean City, N.J. This year’s program features a partnership of the 76ers, Kia Motors American and the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association.
Each clinic hosts 300 to 400 kids, with some attracting up to 600 youngsters.
And every kid has a story.
"One time I was signing autographs after our session and I have about five-hundred kids around me jumping excitedly," recalled Free. "And this lady comes up to me with tears in her eyes. She said, ‘Mr. Free, I just wanted to say something to you. That was my son you picked to come out and participate. And that’s the first time he’s smiled in three weeks, because his father died. Thank you.’ And to this day, I still see her and she says thank you. Now her son is seventeen and doing very well."
Through his passion to enrich today’s youth and keep them on the right path, Free has inspired countless children. They in turn inspire him, and it’s all in a day’s work.
"Everywhere I go, children gravitate toward me. But that’s good," he said. "I love kids. I like trying to give as much as I can. This is how we can try to help them. I’m not going to save the world, but I will try to give my whole heart as long as I can." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com