"This is such a big day for her," Robinson wrote in her journal as she watched the warm-up last Sunday afternoon.
Tatyana had insisted that they get to the Rutgers University-Camden athletic center a half-hour early. "Mom, I don't want to miss anything," she said.
Tatyana dreams of being a professional player, but in Camden, just getting an opportunity to learn basketball can be a challenge.
On the other side of the gym, Judyann Gillespie was dishing out balls and organizing teams. Gillespie, 38, an adolescent-counseling director in Camden, runs the all-volunteer league, now in its sixth season. Her father coached her Catholic Youth Organization basketball teams as she grew up in South Jersey. When he died in 2005, she searched for a way to give back to her adopted city.
"Kids here deserve the same opportunities other kids get" is her motto.
Until a few months ago, Gillespie was unsure whether the boys and girls would have a place to play this season. For the last few years, they had played at a private gym in Camden, but that club hiked its fees to about $8,000 for the three-month season. "I was in tears," said Gillespie, who saved the season by negotiating a lower price with Rutgers-Camden.
The league survives on donations, she said. Gillespie raises about $3,000 a year; the Camden Rotary Club and some local businesses help out, and she throws beef and beers.
"Six years, and it doesn't get any easier," she said.
Just renting the court eats up most of the scant budget.
On game night, there were no uniforms for the 100 or so kids - just the nylon jerseys - and, since the league cannot afford trained officials, Gillespie pulled referees from the sidelines. It costs extra to pay for the bleachers to be pulled down, so the kids and their fans mostly sat on the floor. Luckily, someone had donated a rack of balls.
