Onward Basketball keeps spirit of Upward alive during canceled season

While Upward canceled its season for the past two seasons, a group of local parents banded together to host a 70-player experience at the CYA Fieldhouse in Chantilly, Va. A close out letter from director B.J. Koubaroulis:

"Hello Onward Families,

It's hard to believe that we are coming to the close of this basketball journey. We will have our final session this Friday 3/18, followed by our Saturday 3/19 end-of-season celebration at the Harlem Globetrotters.

And while I know that you'll miss my colorful emails each week, I want to take a moment here to say some "thank yous."

First and foremost, I want to thank YOU, the parents, for taking the leap and trusting us with your kids during these uncertain times.

Hosting a 70-player basketball group every Friday for three hours during a pandemic is no easy task and it would not be possible without the dedication from our coaches, Blair Ross, Nikky Ross, Richard Gallivan, Summer Franconeri, Jim Franconeri, Troy Villemaire, Kyle Towson, Maroun Kanaan, Jason Skerker, Mo Rauf, Phil Ahad, Tod Merkle, Ehab Hennawi and Clint Richard. We also had a lot of help from our parent volunteers, John Pettiford, Mark Lininger, David Im, Chris Cullerot and Brian Gallagher. I want to extend a special thank you to Alex Harris of Evolution Hoops, who did not flinch when I asked him for three hours of court-time every Friday during peak basketball season. This would not be possible without Alex's generosity.

In all, it took about 20 volunteers every Friday to make this happen. Not a single parent ever said "No" and you all did it with smiles on. I can tell you that the attitudes of our coaches and volunteers poured out onto the court and set the tone for the players. This turned out to be a very positive experience, where the players not only learned a lot about basketball, but also forged some friendships and I'm very proud of that.

Personally, Friday nights turned out to be the best part of my week. I really enjoyed meeting all of you and the kids have all been really great to be around and to work with. We will see you all again on Friday night for our last session. Let's make it a good one.