KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There are three pointers to know in basketball: footwork, a good shot and the ability to guard.
A group of men in Kansas City, Missouri, — who use a small gym under renovation at Forest Avenue Church — know all of the basics.
Part of the deal to get in a hoop session is being under the mentorship of Kevin Morgan, who founded Lean on Me Ministries.
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"Tuesday, that's when we get down," said Benjamin Brown, who attends the program.
This week, the men were surprised with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, partially funded by Price Chopper.
"My mom stepped up and made some sweet potatoes," Morgan said. "We're gonna probably fight over that."
For the men who show up, a full plate doesn't just mean they might have too much to eat — they have a lot of choices to make.
"I grew up in that era," Morgan said. "I grew up as a product of my environment."
Brown has lived in KCMO his entire life.
"I'm from the projects, if I can say that. I wanted to take a different route. I had friends that rob, kill," he said.
Many of the guys come in the gym with the same weight.
Brandon Walker, a community interaction officer for KCPD's east patrol division, understands that with the violence he responds to on the street.
"The murder rate is going up and we don't want to hit that [record], so what else can we do?" Walker said.
Brown has been showing up at the Lean on Me Ministries weekly hoop sessions for several years, partially to stay off the streets and make the right decisions.
"Being raised in the inner city, you see that it's a blessing to be alive," he said. "Whatever you got, leave it at the door, come in here and we're all family."
Morgan is showing them a wrong decision could cost them the game, but off the court, it could cost them their life.
"I've seen guys get jobs, walk away from drugs and lives change tremendously," Morgan said.
Three pointers, footwork, shooting and guarding, can help win a game, but sometimes the guys that walk in the gym only have one shot to get it right in life.
"It's about saving a life, one person at a time," Morgan said.
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