New Vallejo Late Night Basketball program wraps up inaugural summer season

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VALLEJO –  Vallejo’s Late Night Basketball wrapped up its final 2025 session on Friday, concluding the free summer program that offered youth aged 12-25 a free space to play basketball, socialize, and eat dinner.

An average of 70 youths attended each session, according to program director Louis Michael. The program started in June and sessions happened between 6 p.m. and midnight each Friday night, except on the July 4 holiday, at Elite Public Schools gym in North Vallejo.

Michael, a 27-year-old graduate student pursuing an education degree at Vallejo’s Touro University, said adults were involved as well, as referees officiated each game, several Vallejo Police Department officers provided security, and, on average, about 25 community members volunteered.

The program ended on a high note, as well over 100 youths attended. While about 75 participated in a basketball tournament, others came to hang out and watch. Those who played in the games were offered a free shirt and basketball to take home.

While smiling and sweaty after a hard fought game, 18-year-old Vallejo resident Nathaniel Burnside told the Sun that he’s enjoyed the program.

“Me and my friends have a lot of fun here,” Burnside said. “I’ve also brought a lot of my little cousins and sisters.”

Vallejo Late Night Basketball has its roots in Midnight Basketball, a program started in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., in the late 1980s, which was geared towards getting males from their late teens to mid twenties off the streets between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., when crime rates were highest. The program was a success in the eyes of many community members and law enforcement officers, and similar programs have spread throughout the country since then.

In comparison to Midnight Basketball, Vallejo’s program was more of a community and family event. Parents and very young children were in attendance. They watched inside the gym and ate tacos at tables set up outside. Some shot around informally on outdoor hoops.

According to Michael, about 75% of those who played in the formal basketball games were under 18. One of them was Sophia, a seventh grader who lives in Vallejo.

“It’s very very fun,” Sophia said. “It’s like street ball, which is the best. I make more friends. And the food is really good.”

Byford, an eight grader who attends Elite, said he came out to late night basketball three times this summer, and it’s been a good alternative to his normal Friday night routine: playing video games.

“I like the energy and the vibe,” Byford said. “There’s a lot of good people here.”

Increasing safety is a goal of Late Night Basketball, according to its website. Burnside said he felt safe attending and bringing his family members, and it gave him something positive to do at night.

“There’s not really anything to do besides get in trouble in Vallejo,” Burnside said. “This is great. It gives us something to look forward to every week. They need to keep this program. It’s really good for the community.”

This isn’t the first time Vallejo has had a late night basketball program for youths. From 2015 through 2018, a non-profit called New Dawn Vallejo organized another similar late night basketball league, with support from the Vallejo Police Department. Starting in 2016, that program relied on grants from the California Board of State and Community Corrections for funding.

The new program, however, has not relied on state funding. In a presentation to the Greater Vallejo Recreation District from May, Michael described it as a “grassroots comeback.” Elite provided the gym for free, seventeen organizations provided volunteers, and nine individuals and and 10 organizations supported the program monetarily. The recreation district and the Yoche Dehe Wintun Nation were the biggest funders, as both donated $25,000.

Yoche Dehe Wintun Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts, who, along with Michael, played in an adult and youth game at the event, said that the funding was part of the nation’s 25-year effort to support positive programs in their ancestral homelands in Solano County.

“You see all the camaraderie and enthusiasm and the young kids and adults enjoying themselves,” Roberts said. “The nation is extremely proud that we could partner with a program like this.”

Restaurants in Vallejo also helped by providing donated food, including local ones like Bambino’s, Noonie’s Place, and Tacos Jalisco. 

The idea to bring late night basketball back came from City Councilmember Helen-Marie “Cookie” Gordon. In March, she emailed community members who she thought could help, and asked them if folks could work together to make it happen. She told the Sun there was a lot of interest, and one planning meeting had 87 attendees. 

“I ran into so many young people when I was running my campaign in 2024 who asked me: ‘What are you going to do for us?” Gordon said. “I wanted the kids to see that us adults have not let them down and we are here for them.”

Overjoyed with how the program has come together, Gordon said she’s been attending every Friday night and staying until midnight. She told the Sun that school and community leaders, city officials, and firefighters and police officers have joined her.

“It’s amazing,” Gordon said at the event while tearing up. “It’s inspirational and it shows there’s a lot of great things happening here in Vallejo.”

Michael said that the program has allowed adults and youth to build positive relationships both through informal interactions and official mentorship programing. During the first session, he recalls a high school aged boy who, impatient with having to wait a long time to take the court and play, angrily threatened to leave and not come back. But Michael gained his trust, through reaching out with care.

“I had a heart to heart with him and found out he recently lost a family member and was not in the best place mentally,” Michael said. “After our heart to heart he was in a bit of a better mood. He ended up coming back again and again, and was usually one of the first to check in.”

During three of the sessions the program arranged for formal presentations and discussions to help educate youth, according to Michael. Rayvon Williams with the Integrated Health and Resource Team, or IHART, spoke about conflict resolution. The East Bay Basketball Officials Association presented on career options. Demetrius Nelson with VOICES Solano and Let’s Hustle Athletics presented on emotional regulation and self care.

Michael said he wants to program to continue. He hopes more days can be added to the program next summer, or whenever it’s possible because it was “really rewarding to see kids in a safe space, exercising and doing something positive.”

Michael has two kids. He said he wants to stick in Vallejo to raise them, and programs like late night basketball help keep him and his family around.

“I truly do believe Vallejo can be an amazing place to raise kids,” Michael said. “But it takes people stepping up to provide these things.”

Building on the success of late night basketball, Gordon wants to not only bring it back next year but also is considering expanding the program to include soccer. The program could end up being retitled Late Night Sports.

“Soccer appeals to a diverse array of residents,” Gordon said. “Offering both sports ensures more young people and families feel invited and included.”