NBA-quality b-ball court unveiled

COMPTON—For the past six months, the doors to the gymnasium at The Salvation Army Compton Corps Community Center have been closed to the general public. Eighteen months ago, plans got underway to refurbish its old, outdated gym floor.

Thanks to a bevy of private donors, sponsors and contributors working in partnership with the LA84 and Shaun Livingston foundations, the community center now boasts a first-class, NBA-quality basketball court that is sure to draw local hoops and indoor soccer fans.

On Thursday, March 19, the corps brought the new and improved gymnasium to life with a two-hour dedication and grand re-opening ceremony. It was well attended by community members, elected officials, sport stars and celebrities.

Those of local fame included Councilwoman Yvonne Arceneaux, Councilman Amos Clay, Compton Station Capt. William Ryan, Chief Cecil Rhambo and Assemblyman Isadore Hall III.

Hall told The Bulletin that the gym’s improvements enrich the quality of investment potential in the city.

“The Salvation Army has done a phenomenal job in re-birthing lives spiritually, educationally and socially,” Hall said. “This is just indicative of the spirit and theme of The Salvation Army. I’m truly honored to actually say I’ve been a product of The Salvation Army through my involvement in sports here.

“This is very important. A lot of the lower social-economic communities suffer in the area of sports because they don’t have facilities like this in other areas,” the assemblyman continued. “So whenever you have a facility that has a new floor, they put a lot of money into it, it gives a sense of pride to the community.

“I think that as individuals come through these doors and they see these new floors that have been placed here at this facility — that have been fabulously placed and decorated — it will give them an extra sense of pride to say that not only am I from Compton, but we have facilities that support sports.”  

According to Rachel Seward of the Shaun Livingston Foundation, the construction and finishing of the gymnasium cost approximately $250,000. The foundation, named after the former Los Angeles Clippers player, played covered the cost of installing the new skylights.

“Opening this new gym, especially in our economic times — it’s going to give another wonderful place for these kids and families to come and have a good, safe life,” she said. “When we walked in, the ceiling was black, it was dark and it was not very welcoming at all, so we said we wanted to be a part of this.”

Ron Hooper first came to the gym in 1979 when he was just 12. Upon seeing the facility’s facelift, the 42-year-old said: “It’s about time.”

“It’s a huge improvement. I like it a lot,” Hooper said. “It was good playing here, but the floor wasn’t quite right. It was hard and it hurt. You didn’t want to fall on the old floor. But this is wonderful. This is exactly what should have been all along. I’m very happy to have it. I’ll be down here as often as possible.”

Anita DeFrantz, president of the LA84 Foundation and member of the International Olympic Committee, said adding the new floor to the gymnasium allows the kids in the neighborhood to become more engaged in physical activities at the center.

“It’s a great honor for the LA84 Foundation to take part in this and to have our logo here, reminding the folks here that we’re a part of this community, and we want all the kids to appreciate all the benefits sports has to offer,” she said.

“We believe that through sports we can get kids’ lives ready; they learn about decision-making, they learn about teamwork, they learn about caring about one another,” DeFrantz continued. “We’re losing a very important part of how we learn in this country. Sports are part of our fabric. It’s about competing fairly and with integrity. We need to make sure our kids have a chance to do that.”

Corps Capt. Martin Ross said the improved conditions mean the folks in the community have the luxury of a facility that is equal to, if not better than, those in other areas.

“What does this mean to the community? It means first-class,” Ross said. “It means that the people of Compton receive first-class and deserve first-class. A lot of times people write off the city of Compton. Sometimes they say, ‘What good can come out of Compton?’

“We know there’s a lot of good.”