SLAMONLINE.COM 75later return to her city, only to see a glar-
ing need for a girls’ basketball league.
“There was no place for girls to
harness their skills that wasn’t in the
shadow of young men,” Moorer recalls.
Through years of hard work, Moorer
and Couch have provided exactly that
place in NYC. The Uptown Challenge
is NCAA-sanctioned. The referees are
PSAL- and college-certified. And the
league is run by women—from Moorer at
the top all the way to the statisticians,
scorekeepers and DJs.
The atmosphere at the park is wel-
coming and safe. “We’ve been there 17
years and we haven’t had any incidences,”
Couch says. “We don’t have smoking in
the park. There’s no drinking in the park.
It’s a family atmosphere.”
But what separates the Uptown Chal-
lenge from other summer tournaments is
something more than just the basketball.The goal of the tournament is to build
successful young women. Just like excel-
lence on the court, Moorer emphasizes
the importance of education.
“We’re always in their ears, talking
about education, jobs,” Moorer says.
“Even our staff—we’ve had our staff start
at 12, 13, 14 years old—and all but one
has either graduated from college or is in
college right now.
“It’s always, Education is key,” she con-
tinues. “When are you going to college?
When are you going to take your SATs?
Sometimes you have to give the young
folks the reality. It’s always about that.”
With plans to add a Middle School
Division and another court, the Uptown
Challenge has become a summertime
fixture, poised to positively impact many
girls’ lives for years to come. And with
the popularity of women’s basketball
growing at a rapid rate, the timing
couldn’t get any better.
“It’s not just about basketball for us,”
Moore says. “It’s about creating a suc-
cessful young woman.” SFor more information about the Uptown
Challenge, schedule, stats and photos,
visit uptownchallenge.com.The legendary Jim Couch