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Chuck Mack has taken a lot of criticism for the name he's given the basketball program he created.

The former Division 1 basketball standout, NCAA coach and successful Las Vegas businessman calls his youth basketball program the "JC Ballers." "JC" stands for "Jesus Christ."

"The lawyers and the marketing people say, 'Are you nuts?'" Mr. Mack told The Evangelist. "I'm going up against a lot because we wear a cross on our uniforms and pray at each practice."

Mr. Mack started the program nearly five years ago in Las Vegas, where it continues to thrive, with participants playing in national tournaments. Last fall, he moved his family to Saratoga to be closer to his parents and to start the program in the Albany Diocese.

A native of Troy, Mr. Mack grew up in St. Jude's parish in Wynantskill. He attended both LaSalle Institute and Catholic Central High School in Troy.

Player to coach
He was the youngest basketball player to be named to the All Metroland Team. After high school, he played for Brown University.

A hit-and-run accident that nearly caused him to lose his leg ended Mr. Mack's basketball playing career. He went on to coach for the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

After a career in coaching, he put his business degree to work operating a construction company and a restaurant.

The father of a 12-year-old, Mr. Mack said he learned as his son began playing basketball that few basketball leagues give children the right messages about the game.

According to the coach, many youth basketball leagues now put a focus on winning, require the child to focus exclusively on basketball and fail to teach good sportsmanship. Mr. Mack said it's even common for adult coaches to swear at their young players.

"My son had some bad experiences," he recalled.

In contrast, the JC Ballers program Mr. Mack founded teaches participants that God comes first, then their families, then school, then basketball.

"Our players are asked to work hard, stay focused and, most importantly, have fun," he said.

To teach children to put God first, Mr. Mack has the players pray together. In Las Vegas, the teams also participated in community service projects.

While Mr. Mack is Catholic and his faith central to his life, he said he does not try to indoctrinate participants. "In Nevada, we had Islamic kids and Jewish kids," he noted.

Pray together
The prayer aspect of the program had an impact on families, he said.

"Here I was in Nevada, in Las Vegas - 'sin city' - and I had 10 to 15 families come up to me and tell me they had never prayed before," he said. "Now, because of their children's participation, they pray. If my program gets families to pray, it's already a success."

Mr. Mack found that many basketball leagues put a strain on families. One child may make the team and the other child is cut. Mr. Mack said this is often toughest on mothers who have to arrange child care for one child while driving the other child to practice.

The JC Ballers accepts all children who want to play. Mr. Mack requires parents to come to at least one session a month to let the child know the parent is interested and to help the parents see how hard their children are working.

His "no cut" rule also allows a child to develop basketball skills. A pre-teen cut from a team might give up on the game, said the coach.

"How could I cut someone at 11? I don't know what they'll be like when they're 16," he explained.

Keep it up
As far as academics, Mr. Mack requires players to maintain a certain grade point average. The coaches in the program and Mr. Mack check participants' grades.

Mr. Mack asks that, if a child also plays on a school team, that coach attends at least one practice. In some areas, children who like basketball are expected to commit to just one team; Mr. Mack said children are too young to make this kind of commitment. His program is designed simply to help the children improve their game.

When coaches come to visit the JC Ballers, he said, they see the program is for the betterment of the child and not competing with school teams.

The JC Ballers program is unique in that it is offered year-round. This summer, it will be operating out of Frear Park in Troy and the Saratoga Rec Center.

The year-round aspect of the program allows children to play other sports. Mr. Mack has heard many stories of children expected to commit to one sport at a young age.

"Parents of one of the girls I worked with told me their daughter was told that if she ran track, she couldn't be on the CYO team," he said. "How can you tell a seventh-grade girl that she can't play CYO because she runs track or plays soccer?"

The program has already started in Saratoga and Troy. In May, it is slated to begin in Schenectady.

(04/15/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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