More Than a Game: How Community, Sports, and One Young Leader Are Changing Lives

By JC Montenegro, PhD

The other day, I heard our boys’ basketball team lost the championship game. But what caught my attention wasn’t the loss; it was the joy in our coach’s voice. Andres Ortiz, our Site Director and the team’s coach, couldn’t stop talking about how proud he was of the players. One story in particular stood out: Jayden.

Jayden is a fourth grader, bright, funny, energetic, and full of big emotions, like many kids his age. At the start of the Mamba League season, he wanted to be the star. He wanted the ball, the attention, the win. But he didn’t realize that real greatness isn’t just about being the best player; it’s about lifting others.

Week after week, Jayden began to shift. He learned that leadership means passing the ball, encouraging his teammates, and staying composed, even when things don’t go his way. By the end of the season, he wasn’t just playing better; he was becoming someone better. And his example rippled through the team. These boys, many of whom struggle with short tempers, showed maturity and unity. They lost the final game, but they held their heads high. No one threw a tantrum. No one walked off the court. They smiled. They shook hands. They grew.

We owe a lot of this opportunity to JR Dzuback, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley and Eastside, who invited us into the Mamba League. Thanks to him and the Boys and Girls Club, our children were able to step onto the court not just to compete but to grow. The league, founded by Kobe Bryant in 2017, is more than just a sports program. It is a legacy of love, discipline, and transformation. If Kobe could read this, I genuinely believe he’d be smiling and cheering because his dream is alive in these children.

The Salesian Family Youth Center couldn’t do this alone as a small organization. We rely on the kindness and solidarity of others to make moments like this possible. While I can’t be at every game or practice, stories like Jayden’s remind me of why we do this work. Miracles happen when we come together as a community and focus on our children.

Sports are not just a game. They are a classroom for emotional intelligence, leadership, and hope. Jayden didn’t just learn to dribble or pass; he realized who he could be. And now he knows: if he can control his emotions on the court, he can control them anywhere.

We may not have taken home the trophy, but we took home something bigger: proof that they rise when we invest in our youth. And that’s the real win.