Basketball’s Back At Farnam

Fair Haven’s ​“basketball Mecca” is returning to the Farnam Neighborhood House with the help of a New Haven native looking to give back to his city. 

Victor Joshua, founder and director of RespeCT Hoops, grew up playing basketball at Farnam. Now he’s bringing the life-changing game back to the community center. 

RespeCT Hoops is a basketball training program for athletes looking to learn basketball fundamentals, improve skills to try out for a league, off-season training, or a way to stay active. 

Joshua, 27, founded the program in 2018 with the help of a group of friends to support up-and-coming athletes from the community. It offers one-on-one training and small group sessions for athletes of all ages. 

The program’s fall and winter session kicked off at Farnam Nov. 15. It included about 40 kids a week this past summer.

The program plans to offer a men’s league, midnight basketball, and a 35+ League in the future.

A dozen kids worked out at the community center’s gym this past Saturday with instruction from RespeCT Hoops coaches William Reeves and Jomo Bartholomew. 

The elementary and middle school players sharpened their skills by learning to do workouts like the back pedal with Coach Bartholomew.

While lined up on the court’s baseline, Bartholomew helped the students improve their agility and footwork with the back pedal. The players raced each other to the half court line while taking small steps backwards with their knees crouched. 

“Get low and trust yourself,” Bartholomew said as the players repeated the workout. 

Bartholomew, who is a fitness trainer, recently began coaching with the program after signing his son up for training to help him stay active and work on his social skills.

Bartholomew focused Saturday on helping the young players strengthen their legs.

The players did a jumping exercise to work on their body balance and awareness of space skills. 

The key to teaching youth the fundamentals of basketball is building their strength, Bartholomew said. ​“The stronger their body is the more they can enjoy playing.” 

He joined as a coach to get kids interested in fitness and passionate about staying active.

Issachar Bartholomew, 11, took up basketball to bond with his dad and learn a new skill. 

Although he doesn’t enjoy basketball as much as tennis, golf, and baseball, he said, he is able to apply what he learns on the basketball court to all sports. 

Issachar, a sixth grader at Beecher School, has three goals to accomplish from the RespeCT Hoops program: Dribbling between his legs. Becoming a better shooter. Controlling his strength during shooting. 

He added that he enjoys getting out the house with his dad to take a break from playing video games.

Joshua, who was raised in Westville, played basketball throughout college and got offers to play overseas in places like Greece and Spain but decided to take a break from the sport.

He reconnected with the game once finding an interest in coaching the youth. 

“I knew basketball was going to be in my life but didn’t know how,” he said. 

Joshua is the assistant coach for North Haven High School basketball team. 

To bring his program to Farnam, Joshua got connected through Clifford Beers, which oversees the Farnam House. In hopes of bringing life back to what he described as the ​“Mecca of Basketball” he requested to make Farnam the new home base for the daily program.

Joshua recalled star players like Tavon Allen and Bobby Moore playing at Farnam House. ​“We have the talent and passion in the community. We have to support it more,” he said. 

RespeCT Hoops works with players of all skill levels. Its programming happens Monday through Friday and every other Saturday with free clinics.

“I grew up in rec centers. I want to bring that back and give back to New Haven with this,” Joshua added. 

Athletes train throughout the week as members for conditioning lessons and training. The program also offers online trainings with personalized workout plans for athletes.

Joshua described the court as the best classroom for an athlete. ​“It’s a game with its own language,” he said.

While a player himself, Joshua said he learned how to network and build relationships on the court. ​“You don’t always realize it but the court is teaching you how to deal with all kinds of people,” he said. 

Fifteen-year-old Giovanni Llanos, who attends Notre Dame High School, joined the program at Farnam a month ago to work on his strength. 

He also plays baseball and football but hopes to go to college for basketball and go to the NBA. 

Llanos, a Fair Haven native, said now that he is a sophomore, he faces older and bigger players on the court while playing for Notre Dame. ​“I want to be able to take anybody on,” he said. 

Saturday’s practice at Farnam was Llanos’ second of the day. He spent two hours at his team’s practice Saturday morning. Although tired, he rushed to Farnam for a second workout. 

Playing basketball ​“keeps me out the streets and outside,” said Llanos, who joined the team his freshman year and is continuing this year.

Llanos began taking basketball seriously when he was told in middle school that he wasn’t good at the sport. He has since improved his skills in an effort to prove to himself and others that he can play professionally. 

“This is my way out. I do it everywhere I go,” Llanos said.

Coach Reeves, 27 worked with teens Llanos and Noah Vega, 14 at the Saturday practice learning how to shift their body weight and real-life game scenarios.

Reeves ran the teens through crossover workouts with practice dummies as defenders. ​“Pay attention to where your weight is going on your ankles,” Reeves said while instructing with the players. 

Reeves, a close friend of Joshua, played basketball in high school for North Haven High School, Gateway Community College and played two professional tours overseas in the Dominican Republic and Romania. 

Similar to Joshua, Reeves never left the court. Once taking up coaching for the program in July Reeves found a new part of basketball to love, helping others fall in love with the sport. 

“Youre game will never die if you teach it to kids,” he said. 

While coaching Reeves looks to give players lessons to use beyond the court, like he got when learning to play. 

Basketball taught Reeves lessons like ​“the harder you work the better your outcome” and ​“how to be on the right team.”

Vega attends Eli Whitney Technical High School and plays for his school’s team. 

During Saturday’s lesson, Vega worked on moving his feet more quickly, staying square to the basket, and remaining balanced while dribbling. 

He learned of the program a month ago and started with attending the free clinic. He now comes on Saturdays and at least two days a week in addition to practicing with Eli Whitney daily. 

Vega has played basketball since he was 3 years old. He stopped briefly to play baseball for about three years until realizing he enjoyed basketball more. 

He joined a league hosted by parks and rec. He didn’t perform well throughout the season, he said. ​“I spent all summer practicing, and after that someone told me I could get good enough to go pro. It gets kind of addicting when you see how different you can be when you put the effort it. I’m going to keep working for this.” 

Vega, who lives in Quinnipiac Meadows, hopes to play basketball in college and professionally in the future. ​“Doing the thing I love and earing money is heaven to me,” he said. 

He often applies what he learns on the court to his life, like, ​“You are the company that you keep.”