CLEVELAND — Jaylen Fourqueran-Perry hit the court with his teammates at Rocket Arena on Thursday night. It’s a moment he never thought he’d get to experience. 

What You Need To Know

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb partnered with the Cleveland Cavaliers to host the fourth annual Hoops After Dark Championship game at Rocket Arena

The championship is the culmination of an eight-week program for young men ages 18-26

In addition to basketball, players have workshops on mental health, career opportunities, financial literacy, and health and wellness after their games

“Coming back on this court in my hometown of The Land, in the heart of The Land, to be back with all your friends, all your guys, the people that you grew up with — it’s a dream come true,” Forqueran-Perry said. “You’re all together in one area playing for a championship game.” 

Fourqueran-Perry is a player in this year’s Hoops After Dark program. It’s an eight-week basketball program for young men ages 18-26 in Cleveland that culminates with a championship game in the Cavaliers’ arena. 

“The fact that they implemented a league here to keep kids and young men off the streets and allow them to do what they love and what they grew up doing is a dream come true,” he said. 

The program is in its fourth year after being started by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb in 2022.

Hoops After Dark builds off the legacy of the Midnight Basketball program founded in Cleveland in the 1990s by former Mayor Mike White and Dr. Yvonne Pointer. The Midnight Basketball program ran for 12 years and was used as a prevention tool to lower crime in the city. 

Cleveland Cavaliers Executive Vice President and Chief Impact and Equity Officer Kevin Clayton says Hoops After Dark has similar goals. 

“There’s a peak in crime, there’s a peak in violence in the summer time,” Clayton said. “We didn’t want these young men to be vulnerable to it.”

Although there’s great competition on the hardwood, the primary purpose of the program takes place off the court. 

“It’s not about the basketball,” said Clayton. “We also provide wraparound services with our community partners, in which there’s job fairs, access to all different kinds of programs and grants. These are opportunities they may not have a chance to see.” 

Perhaps nobody embodies the success of the program more than Selassie Wilson. 

“I was a player in the first year in 2022. Now, I’m a coach in 2025,” said Wilson. “It really shows that this program impacts the inner city and gives young men the opportunity to learn and grow.” 

Wilson is better known by “Coach Los” around his players. He now has a full-time youth coaching position with the Cavaliers organization, something he says he couldn’t have gotten without Hoops After Dark.

“For the whole thing to come full circle, and now me having a job, an opportunity to work with the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland, is great,” he said.

Now, Wilson is giving back to the program that helped change his live for the better.

“The impact that I’ve had on my players is showing them that there’s other ways to go about things,” said Wilson. “Even if your plan didn’t initially work coming out of high school or college, that you can have other opportunities show up at your doorstep. I hope this can go on for as many years as possible.”