Smith Celebrates Midnight Basketball

Sat., June 29, 1996

Associated Press

NBA star Joe Smith and dozens of young adults from around the nation celebrated the 10th anniversary of midnight basketball Friday.

Smith joined the youths for a banquet to praise the program, which some say has given young people an alternative to drugs and crime. The Midnight Basketball League was founded in 1986 by G. Van Standifer, a town manager for Glenarden, near Washington.

The program requires the young adults to participate in hour-long workshops at each game where they learn to write a resume, what to do in a job interview and are taught about AIDS prevention.

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Smith Celebrates Midnight Basketball

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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