GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — As Cleveland prepares to host the NCAA women’s Final Four this weekend, the impact has already been seen far beyond the court and downtown.
Leaders with the NCAA, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC), Mid-American Conference (MAC), Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (RMFH) and presenting partner Dove were on hand to christen a newly renovated indoor basketball court at Boys Hope Girls Hope in Garfield Heights, an organization that offers mentorship, scholarships, tutoring, and even housing for some.
"There’s no way we would have been able to do this without the Legacy Project," executive director at Boys Hope Girls Hope John McBride said.
The renovation comes as part of the NCAA's Legacy Project.
"The communities really lean into us as we are coming into bring our sporting events here, and for our fans, this is our way to give back," Lynn Holzman, NCAA Vice President of women's basketball, said.
For high school senior CJ Morris, the new court is a significant upgrade to their old one.
"It was a little rough," he said. "The court was a little dirty. We couldn’t run, and it had no grip at all."
Morris told News 5 he's been coming to Boys Hope Girls Hope since he was in sixth grade and hopes he can translate the skills he's learned there to a successful college experience.
"Kids get to earn scholarships where you don't really see a lot of kids have a lot of help, and this is a place where they help and make sure kids have the funds for college," he said.
