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Friday, April 26, 2024
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VIDEO: ‘Hoops in the Hood’ takes over Balbo Drive

By  Annie Costabile
   
SHARE VIDEO: ‘Hoops in the Hood’ takes over Balbo Drive
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On a typical weekday morning East Balbo Drive, between Columbus Drive and Lake Shore Drive, is choked with cars.

But Thursday, the sounds of basketballs bouncing, kids yelling “we got next!” and the whistles of referees regulating a series of games drowned out nearby traffic noise.

Some 400 kids from 20 neighborhoods around Chicago filled the street — where several basketball courts had been set up — for the 12th annual Hoops in the Hood Cross-City Finale, sponsored by the Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC), a community development group, and the Chicago Park District.

Kids from 20 neighborhoods came together to participate in the tournament. Meghan Hart, the executive director of LISC, said a total of 5,000 kids between 8 and 19 years old took part in the program throughout the summer.

Read more at the Chicago Sun-Times: Peace through basketball: ‘Hoops in the Hood’ takes over Balbo Drive

One team is all smiles before hitting the court for their first game of the afternoon at Hoops in the Hood. Annie Costabile/Sun-Times.

One team is all smiles before hitting the court for their first game of the afternoon at Hoops in the Hood. Annie Costabile/Sun-Times.

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