Basketball players from across Connecticut came to Bridgeport for an All-Stars tournament

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) – Young basketball players from all over the state were in Bridgeport Sunday for an All-Stars tournament.

The tournament was organized by R&B and Hip-Hop producer Michael Bivins, who says the sport changed his life and he wants to see the same happen for the kids.

“Ball to me is life, man. Ball kept me off the streets, ball allowed my mom to be proud of me. Ball allowed me to be a show-off.”

Skills are being put to the test at the Cardinal Shehan Center in Bridgeport. These players are all 13-years-old or younger.

As a founding member of musical groups New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe and mentor to Boyz II Men, Bivens knows talent and he wants to see who is the best of the best.

“We are giving birth to the future stars. This is Bridgeport, a lot of NBA and college players came through here,” Bivens told News 8. “New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury, went onto UConn and all these big schools. So we’re just touching the stars of the future today.”

Building up young talent and local businesses is an idea the NAACP supports. Vio Sports Plus, out of West Haven, made the shirts and donated trophies for the tournament.

“It’s possibly a future for these kids, it gives them structure, it gives them competitiveness,” said Mike Violano of Vio Sports Plus. “You learn how to lose, how to win, how to compete, be friends on and off the court.”

The winners of the tournament will go on to play winners from New York, New Jersey and Boston. Bivins hopes the game will give kids the confidence to chase their dreams like he did.

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