Utaff Gordon grew up learning the sport of basketball on the outdoor courts of Harlem, where only the strong survived.
When he came to Savannah and started a long coaching career at the high school level, he found a home away from home on the outdoor courts at the Blackshear Basketball Complex on Wheaton Street, where there was no problem finding a game back in the day.
Today there isn't much action on those courts, and Gordon, who retired from coaching after leading Johnson to a berth in the state semifinals in 2020, is looking to change the situtation.
Gordon is starting the "C-Port Adult Summer Basketball League" a men's league for players 21 years and older that would run on weekend's at the complex from July 27th through Aug. 17th at the complex, with a Final Four set for Aug. 23rd and the championship set for Aug. 24.
"I came up and fell in love with basketball playing on the outdoor courts in New York City, and when I came to Savannah ― the courts on Wheaton Street were still a hotbed for basketball in the City. I read once that it was one of the 10 best outdoor facilities in the country and we want to bring it back to that level," Gordon said.
Gordon has stayed involved with the game, and the community, since stepping down as a coach. He was instrumental in getting the "Savannah Shootout," a high school basketball showcase event, started at Enmarket Arena in November of 2023. This is his latest project and he's been holding meetings to get things started for about a month.
"Getting started with an eight-team league would be ideal," Gordon said. "But if we get four teams to get things started that would work. The courts at Blackshear are not being utilized at all right now, it's like a ghost town out there. And this could be a good thing for the whole community. We'd like to get food trucks out there, and politicians and organizations can set up booths to reach out to people. We want to get the whole community involved."
Gordon said he has been working with respected local organizations like the LB3 Foundation and Toots for Books, the Coastal Georgia Buccaneers and Beyond the Court to get things started.
"We're all working together to try to get this to come to fruition, and we'll continue to push," Gordon said.
Registration is open through July 12, and teams can sign up at www.Savannahhoopsshootout.com .
Blackshear to host 3-on-3 tournament
The Savannah Recreation Department is set to host a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the Blackshear Basketball Complex on Friday, July 12.
Registration is free for the first 20 teams that register to compete in the one-day event for players 18 years old and older. Games begin at 6:30 p.m. To register, call (912) 351-3852.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Utaff Gordon works to start men's summer league at Blackshear Basketball Complex
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