On any given Saturday morning during the winter, you can walk into a community center in the City of Laurel and see gyms filled with young athletes playing basketball. It’s a familiar sight across the city — kids learning the game, building confidence and competing in a structured, positive environment.
Behind the three-pointers and jump shots stands Winning In Sports and Education, or WISE, a recreational youth basketball program in Laurel that runs three seasons each year — summer, winter and a spring skills clinic. Since its inception in 2013, the program has become one of Laurel’s premier youth sports programs, growing from about 40 participants to as many as 170 young people, according to founder James Agbai. The league serves students in grades 1 through 9, ages 7 to 15, including both boys and girls, and welcomes players of all experience and skill levels.
“When you combine sports and education — it works. Kids are moving and having fun,” he said. “It really isn’t just about basketball.”
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Agbai, 49, said he played sports through college. When he moved to Maryland and had a son, he said he noticed his 13-year-old performed better in school when his education was paired with a sport, which prompted him to partner with the city to start the program.
“I noticed there were no leagues in the City of Laurel (outside of the Laurel Boys and Girls Club),” he said. “I’ve always coached basketball; [and] I’ve always been a mentor.”
And the program is about more than just shooting hoops.
Agbai said the game has always been about more than wins and losses, but rather discipline, accountability, teamwork and respect. Those same lessons helped shape him as a player and now serve as the core of what he teaches the next generation. Through WISE, young athletes are learning structure, gaining confidence and understanding that success on the court and success in life go hand in hand.
“If you don’t know the game, you have a home here with WISE,” he said.
Parents say the basketball program has become invaluable to the community.
“My [11-year-old] son has been a part of the WISE basketball program for the past four years, which in itself speaks volumes about the positive impact it has had on his growth and progression in basketball,” said Shernette Farmer, a parent. “As a basketball mom, the family dynamic within the WISE program has been comforting, and the support the parents and kids receive is welcoming.”
And WISE continues to grow. Agbai said the basketball program now has about 14 coaches, up from four when it started; he has tested additional programs in pickleball, archery and lacrosse. He also has set his sights on expanding travel teams so they can compete more frequently against leagues that are part of the Prince George’s County Boys and Girls Club Basketball Program.