Philadelphia Youth Basketball is set to open its newly-built 100,000-square-foot Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center in North Philadelphia on July 9, write Rymir Vaughn and Ryan Mack for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The rather old building in Nicetown will get new life infused into it once the center opens.

Ameen Akbar, Philadelphia Youth Basketball’s chief missions officer, is very excited to create a space where the organization can achieve its goal of developing a community around the game of basketball.

“The building’s completion represents the physical manifestation of PYB’s mission, vision, and values in which thousands of people have contributed,” Akbar said. “We now get to live that mission out in our own building with thousands more young people, community members, and stakeholders that will last decades beyond this moment.”

While the seven basketball courts will serve as a main attraction, the center will be much more than that.

For example, the facility features a youth multimedia lab and youth leadership hub, house mentorship pods, a cafe, a entrepreneurship center, a civic engagement arena, gym, and mental health oasis.

PYB co-founders and staff hope that future generations can reap the benefits of the new building.

“We could not be more grateful and inspired to be opening our center,” Kenny Holdsman, PYB’s co-founder and CEO.

Read more about the history and future of PYB at The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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