The Atlanta Tipoff Club (ATOC) announced recently a continuation of its community engagement program to modernize basketball infrastructure across major venues at two YMCAs that will leave a legacy following this year’s Women’s and Men’s Basketball Championships.
The North Brandon Family YMCA in Seffner and the Davis-Scott Family YMCA in San Antonio, Texas, are this year’s beneficiaries of a gymnasium renovation. The Naismith Awards continue to deepen its impact in the local basketball community of Final Four host cities by partnering with the organization where basketball originated — the YMCA — and supporting underserved communities.
Basketball was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. Since then, basketball has grown exponentially to become a game played internationally. At the local level, the sport is played in YMCA gyms nationwide, encouraging physical activity and sportsmanship in youth. The Naismith Awards were created in 1969 and named after the game’s inventor.
“We’re delighted to contribute to the Tampa and San Antonio communities,” said Eric Oberman, president of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Since basketball originated at the YMCA, this partnership aligns perfectly with our mission and will introduce more young people to our beloved sport. We take pride in what has become a yearly custom at the Final Four.”
The ATOC, an administrator of the prestigious Naismith Awards for high school and college basketball, has expanded its gymnasium renovation program for the 2025 season to include gymnasiums at both Final Four host city locations for the first time, bringing the total number of facilities upgraded by the organization to seven. This initiative was launched in 2020 in Atlanta and continued with facility updates in New Orleans (2022), Houston (2023) and at separate times last year in Cleveland and Phoenix.
The renovation at the North Brandon facility includes refinishing the gymnasium floor, replacing glass backboards and wall pads and applying fresh paint. This facility serves a community where 29.4 percent of families with children under 17 live in poverty, and 70 percent of children at a nearby school qualify for free and reduced lunch.
“The North Brandon Family YMCA is a community hub. We are grateful to ATOC and Naismith Awards for this refresh, which wouldn’t have been possible without them. We appreciate this partnership, which aligns so well with our priorities of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility,” noted Candace Culver, senior vice president of community partnerships, Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA.
The renovations began earlier this month and will be unveiled on Tuesday, April 1, at the North Brandon Family YMCA and on Saturday, April 5, at the Davis-Scott Family YMCA, in a special dedication ceremony with a youth basketball clinic. Former Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy winners, as well as current Naismith Awards finalists, will participate in the clinic.
